


Paperclips + Bullets (Season 1)

by blackrose1002, BlackVultures



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Anal Fingering, Blow Jobs, Coma, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Getting to Know Each Other, Gun Violence, Hand Jobs, M/M, Painkillers, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:06:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28762275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose1002/pseuds/blackrose1002, https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackVultures/pseuds/BlackVultures
Summary: but·ter·fly ef·fectnoun(in chaos theory) the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere.The man jumped to his feet, his hand going for the gun strapped in his thigh holster. His dark eyes scanned the room for threats, but when he didn’t see any he relaxed. Then his gaze landed on Mac and he smiled, those eyes crinkling pleasantly at the corners. “You’re awake,” he said softly, a slight Southern drawl to the words, but it wasn’t annoying like Owen... god,Owen. He dragged his chair closer to Mac’s bedside and sat down again. “Name’s Jack Dalton. I’m the one who found you floating like a dead fish in Lake Como.” His expression turned serious. “You’ve been out of it for a while, kid. Almost a month.”(In a world where Mac + Jack doesn't happen until Lake Como, everything is a little different. Let's find out how.)
Relationships: Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Nikki Carpenter/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 42





	Paperclips + Bullets (Season 1)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Wunderkind-Season 1](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16166894) by [JustAnotherWriter (N1ghtshade)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/N1ghtshade/pseuds/JustAnotherWriter). 



> *deep breath*
> 
> YOU GUYS!!! I can't tell you how excited Kaja and I are to be bringing you this project! We were obviously inspired by the lovely, talented [JustAnotherWriter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/N1ghtshade/pseuds/JustAnotherWriter/works) and her Wunderkind AU, because Thistle was the first one to decide rewriting an entire television show was a good idea and now we're following in her footsteps with a MacDalton version. **There's a few things you should know, and the first one is that this fic will not update as frequently as our other ones.** Rewriting an episode and keeping it accurate while bending it to our will/making it better takes rewatching, researching, and more time than a normal fic. **Second thing is that the relationship, character, and other tags will all be updated each time a chapter is added, so make sure you check them for potential triggers, because this is NOT going to be a PG-13 affair - far from it! I'll do my best to list anything important in the notes, but I may miss one!** Third and final thing: the focus of the story we're telling is MacDalton, but that doesn't mean there won't be other pairings featured or bumps in the road for the boys. Keep an open mind, is all I'm saying.
> 
> We really, really hope you enjoy this first installment. Any mistakes are mine since I put this together, and please let us know what you think! <3

Angus “Mac” MacGyver hated wearing tuxedos. Button-down shirts were fine, even most suits were okay, but a tuxedo made him feel like an impostor... and technically he _was_ an impostor, being a spy and all. Sometimes his job at DXS—short for the Department of External Services, a clandestine organization that the general public and the most of the US government didn’t know existed—felt so surreal that he was certain he’d wake up in his bunk in the Sandbox and find it had all been a dream.

Taking a deep breath, Mac got out of his Rolls-Royce and adjusted his cufflinks, putting on the square black glasses that would allow Nikki Carpenter—tech genius and Mac’s girlfriend—to see everything he did. Then he touched the comm in his ear. “Everybody good?”

“All good,” Nikki confirmed, and Mac heard her fingers typing on the keyboard in the background.

He adjusted the glasses a little, trying not to be too obvious about it. He should’ve been used to wearing glasses since he had a pair of his own, but he wore mostly contacts these days. It bothered his eyes sometimes since he only took them off to sleep, but Nikki preferred him without the glasses, saying he looked less like a nerd like that.

“Good down here too,” Owen Fielding said from his position on the docks owned by tonight’s host. About twenty years Mac’s senior, Owen wasn’t Mac’s idea of a perfect partner by any stretch—if he was being honest, he was kind of a pain in the ass. “How was the Rolls, bubba? Did she purr like a kitty-cat?”

“Can we focus on the mission, please?” Mac asked, not caring if he sounded like he was begging. He’d do anything not to be called “bubba” for the millionth time. “We need to steal some kind of high-value weapon, and Patty’s already inside.”

“You’re no fun,” Owen muttered, almost audibly rolling his eyes.

“He really isn’t,” Nikki agreed, and Mac pretended he didn’t hear either of them.

Taking a deep breath, he made his way inside, doing his best to look completely normal and blend in. He stepped inside the impressive mansion and almost immediately spotted Patty at the top of the stairs, slowly walking down toward him. Patricia Thornton had never looked anything less than stellar since Mac had known her, but she was particularly stunning tonight in a white floor-length gown, the same shade as Mac’s tuxedo jacket. They greeted each other by their cover names and once they had some champagne she filled him in on what they knew about the security for the weapon—the safe had a biometric lock, which he was expecting.

Then she was gone, swirling away into the crowd, and Mac lost the more formal parts of his outfit. He grabbed a serving tray and took an empty glass from the host, heading into the back of the kitchen to lift a fingerprint from it. He hunted around for a moment and soon he had everything he needed, and another moment later the fingerprint was ready. Now he had to get to the safe without attracting too much attention, and he briefly wondered if there are any guards hanging around the room.

“All the guards are downstairs, at least for now,” Nikki reported, almost like she could read his mind. “How are you, Owen? Is the boat all ready?”

“You know it, junebug,” Owen replied, using his pet name for her, which Mac privately thought was a hell of a lot better than his. “Bubba, how we doing?”

“Coming up on the safe now,” Mac said, letting himself in to the correct room and finding the safe behind a false wall. As soon as it was exposed, however, he realized there was a problem: he needed to build a magnet to interfere with the lock, because he only had a fingerprint and the safe required a handprint.

“Mac, hurry,” Nikki said, more tapping on the keyboard in the background. “Grab the weapon and let’s wrap this up.”

“It’s not going to be that easy,” Mac muttered, glancing around the room to see if there was anything he could use. “There’s been a complication.”

“Yeah, I’ve got one of those too,” Owen said, grunting as the sound of bone hitting bone echoed on the comm. His partner didn’t have many positive attributes, but the ability to beat the shit out of people was one. “You need to hurry it up, bubba—there’s gonna be more guards where these guys came from.”

“Working on it,” Mac gritted out, thinking rapidly. He found what he needed a moment later and built the magnet, thwarting the lock so he could pull out his prize—a cylinder that housed a ghoulish blue vial, which was some kind of weapon.

That was about the time he heard footsteps behind him and grabbed the tray from earlier to use as a weapon. A few guards piled into the room, so he whacked the first one’s head with the tray and kicked the other one. He heard some commotion on the comms, but he forced himself to ignore it and focus on his own fight, all while making sure the cylinder with the weapon didn’t get hit by accident. After doing his best Captain America impression he was finally able to make a break for the stairs, taking them two at a time and ducking as he burst outside and bullets whizzed past him.

He reached the lawn and yelled for Owen: “Start the boat! START THE DAMN BOAT!” His partner belatedly got the idea and revs the engine, already pulling away from the dock as Mac jumped on board. More bullets followed them, but they were too far away for them to reach the boat. The guards were yelling something and Mac couldn’t make out the words as he leaned against the railing. “That was close,” he muttered, checking the cylinder and sighing in relief when he saw it wasn’t damaged during his escape. “Maybe a little too close.”

“Yeah, well, I think we’re about to have another problem,” Owen commented, glancing at Mac before he hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Those guys have a boat too!” Mac swore under his breath and turned to look, and Owen was right, they were being followed. It wouldn’t be so bad except apparently the guard boat came equipped with M4s, all of which were pointed at them. “What’s the play, bubba?”

Mac ignored the annoyance once again building up in him and he thought hard, trying to figure out their next move. The boat with the bad guys was getting closer and it seemed there was only one thing left for them to do. “How do you feel about going for a swim?” he asked Owen as he yanked off his own tie.

“What?” Owen’s baritone voice ratcheted up to something incredulous, bushy eyebrows drawing down. He was steering with one hand and shooting at their assailants with the other, which meant he wasn’t very good at either task. “No! I don’t like to swim!”

“You do now!” Mac said cheerfully, shoving him out of the boat and stifling a hysterical laugh when he screamed like a little girl.

Wrapping the tie around the steering wheel and the accelerator, Mac dove out of the boat as it shot into a U-turn and crashed into the guard boat, exploding on impact. Shards of fiberglass and flesh billowed into the night air along with acrid smoke, and Mac quickly spotted Owen a few feet away and swam over to him.

When he got close enough, Owen glared at him. “Seriously?” he asked incredulously. “That’s the best thing you could come up with?”

“Better than getting turned into a Swiss cheese,” Mac replied, and started swimming in the direction of the shore and their van. “Come on, stop whining.”

Owen was quiet for a long moment, and as they climbed the rocky outcropping up to the road he sighed. “Well, it wasn’t your _worst_ idea. Remember Cairo?”

Mac frowned. “Not really, no. Everything kind of blends together after a while.” They approached the van from the front, and when they rounded it Mac saw the back doors open wide. A chill ran up his back. “Nikki? Where are you?”

She was nowhere to be seen and Mac was about to tell Owen to call Patty when he heard some rustling behind them. He spun around and for a second he was happy to see Nikki... but then his heart dropped when he noticed a man standing behind her, a gun in her hand. “I’m sorry, Mac,” Nikki said, grunting when the man with the gun wrapped his arm around her neck, jamming the barrel against her temple.

“Shut up,” the man said, the moonlight gleaming off the top of his bald head. He looked at Mac and then at the cylinder in his hands. “The weapon, Mr. MacGyver. Hand it over and she lives. Don’t, and things get messy.”

Mac stared at him with wide eyes, clutching the cylinder tightly, and he swallowed hard. “Who are you?” he asked, doing his best to keep his voice steady. “How do you—”

“Enough chit chat,” the man interjected. “The weapon. Now.”

Swallowing again, Mac slowly bent down and rolled the cylinder toward the man with the gun, a bad feeling coiling low in his stomach.

“Bubba, what are you doing?” Owen sounded flabbergasted... and then he turned in Mac’s peripheral vision, but the guys coming up behind them were faster.

Two gunshots rang out in quick succession and Owen fell to the pavement, one last wheezing breath leaving his body as blood pooled underneath him. When Mac looked back in horror at the bald guy holding Nikki, he saw he’d shoved her toward the cliff’s edge, the cylinder in his free hand. “Pleasure doing business with you,” he remarked, before shooting Nikki too, sending her careening off the cliff and into Lake Como.

“No!” Mac yelled, and he threw himself forward, stopping at the edge to look for Nikki but only seeing water.

He spun around, tears burning in his eyes, and he was angry and helpless at the same time. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but then the gun was pointed at him and the man smirked before pulling the trigger. Mac stumbled back, his shoulder burning, and he yelled when he suddenly felt himself fall... and then he hit the lake and everything went black.

~***~

The first thing Mac became aware of was the steady beeping of a pulse monitor, coupled with the rattle and hiss of other machines that meant _hospital_. Cobwebs clouded his mind and it took all his strength just to pry his eyes open. He saw a white ceiling and walls, rails on either side of his bed, and his body covered in layers of soft blankets—everything was a little blurry, meaning he wasn’t wearing his contacts. An oxygen cannula made his nose itch, and there was an IV drip in his hand.

Slowly, he turned his head, intending on looking at the monitor’s readouts... but his eyes caught on the man asleep in the corner of his room. He squinted at him, trying to figure out if he knew him... but no, he’d never seen that man before. By now it was obvious he was in a hospital and for a moment he couldn’t remember why, but then suddenly a wave of memories hit him and he gasped when it all came back to him.

At the same time the man jumped to his feet, his hand going for the gun strapped in his thigh holster. His dark eyes scanned the room for threats, but when he didn’t see any he relaxed. Then his gaze landed on Mac and he smiled, those eyes crinkling pleasantly at the corners. “You’re awake,” he said softly, a slight Southern drawl to the words, but it wasn’t annoying like Owen... god, _Owen_. He dragged his chair closer to Mac’s bedside and sat down again. “Name’s Jack Dalton. I’m the one who found you floating like a dead fish in Lake Como.” His expression turned serious. “You’ve been out of it for a while, kid. Almost a month.”

Mac stared at him for a moment. “What?” he eventually rasped out, his voice hoarse. “But... I’m—that doesn’t make any sense.” Then he remembered Nikki was dead too and his breath hitched. “I’m—I—”

The beeping on one of the monitors sped up and Jack got up from his chair and leaned closer. “Hey, hey, easy, kid,” he murmured, his voice soothing. “You’re safe here.”

Mac swallowed hard. “My... my team—”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Jack interjected, his hand touching Mac’s arm. Goosebumps broke out on his skin the instant he felt the callouses on Jack’s fingers, but Mac wrote it off to the painkillers. “They dredged the lake, but they couldn’t find Agent Carpenter’s body. And Agent Fielding died before he hit the ground.” He smiled, sad and sympathetic. “I work for the Central Intelligence Agency. This ain’t my first rodeo.”

“I thought no one really uses the full name and just calls it the CIA,” was what Mac blurted out, and Jack chuckled. Before he could reply, however, Mac frowned a little, pushing the traumatic memories away for now. “Why... why are you here?” he asked. “You... found me, right? But you said it’s been almost a month... why are you still here?”

“He’s here because I offered him a job,” Patty said, walking into the room in a sharp blue pantsuit, holding a couple of coffee cups. She handed one to Jack who wrinkled his nose but accepted it, then took over his vacated chair. Emotion shadowed her face, and she reached out with her free hand to touch Mac’s chest. “I’m glad you’re okay, Mac... and I’m so sorry about Nikki.”

Mac nodded tightly, swallowing hard and doing his best to keep his emotions at bay. It wasn’t easy with the painkillers being pumped into him, so he tried to concentrate on something else and his gaze fell on Jack. “So... did you accept her offer?” he asked him, tilting his head a little. “You did say you work for the CIA... so I’m confused. You can’t do both.”

Jack chuckled again, taking a sip from his cup and looking like he sucked on a lemon. “I took the job, yeah. That’s why I’m here guardin’ you.”

“We’re in Milan,” Patty said, answering Mac’s next question. “Your condition was too fragile for transportation to the US. Not only were you shot, Mac... you drowned. Your heart stopped and Jack revived you.”

Mac blinked at her, and yeah, now things made more sense. Just getting shot wouldn’t have him in and out of consciousness in the hospital for almost a month, but drowning... that checked out. “Wait, fuck,” he swore, realizing something. “What about Bozer? He must be worried—”

“Best friend, right?” Jack interjected, and he was right, so he must have been reading Mac’s file. “He’s fine. He thinks you were in a car crash.”

“The same car crash that killed Nikki, and since Bozer never met Owen, there wasn’t anything to worry about there,” Patty added. She checked her watch and stood, tossing her empty cup in the trash. “I have some virtual meetings to get to.” She looked at Jack. “Let me know when he can be discharged and I’ll arrange our flight.”

Then she left as quickly as she arrived, causing Jack to shake his head. “Good to know Patty hasn’t changed,” he commented, taking her place in the chair. “How you feelin’, hoss?”

“I’m fine,” Mac replied automatically, and he was surprised when Jack snorted and shook his head. “What? I am.”

“Sure you are,” Jack drawled, leaning back in the chair. “I bet you always say that whenever someone asks if you’re okay, no matter what the truth actually is.” Mac didn’t say anything because Jack wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t about to admit it. “Come on, man. You’re not fine. You can’t be fine after everything that happened.”

Mac closed his eyes as they filled up with tears, struggling to keep in a sob. “No... you’re right. I’m not fine.” Tentatively he raised his good hand to touch his shoulder, which was layered in bandages under his hospital gown. “My girlfriend’s dead, so is my partner, and I lost a weapon that’s probably capable of killing thousands of people.” A tear slipped down his cheek, hot and shameful. “I’m fucking awful.”

“There it is,” Jack murmured, but he didn’t sound mean or judging. “Look, I’m not gonna tell you everything’s gonna be just fine, because it won’t. At least not right away.” He smiled sadly. “But there ain’t no point in bottling it all up.”

Mac nodded a little, and when he opened his eyes he found Jack watching him with an understanding expression on his face. “I’d like to get out of here,” he whispered, licking his dry lips and tugging the cannula out of his nose. Breathing real air felt good, even if his lungs had to work harder. “I hate hospitals.”

“Okay,” Jack said with a nod, and he got to his feet. When Mac blinked at him in confusion, he smiled a little. “Gonna see what I can do about getting you discharged early.” He winked. “Maybe I can charm the nurses with my flawless Italian.”

With that he was gone, and Mac was left staring at the door where he disappeared, a little surprised by how... easy it was to talk to Jack. It was an odd thing to notice considering how shell-shocked he was, but he liked Jack a lot. He had a calm demeanor and casual humor that Mac found soothing, and he allowed himself to sink back into his pillows while he waited for Jack to return.

He came back about five minutes later with a nurse, who giggled at Jack’s jokes in what was indeed flawless Italian as she took Mac’s vitals. Since Mac also spoke the language he joined the conversation, and she told him that he could be released as long as he followed the regimen of medication they gave him and went to physical therapy when he returned to the US. He agreed to everything, knowing he could figure out how to get out of PT once he was back home.

Jack gave him a look when the nurse turned her head away, one that suggested he was onto him, but that was impossible… right? Once she left, Mac slowly sat up and then he remembered he was wearing a stupid hospital gown with nothing else underneath it.

As if on cue, Jack opened the closet and pulled out a plastic bag filled with clothes. “Here, I got these at the gift shop a while back. I guessed at the sizes.” He set the bag on the foot of Mac’s bed, then looked at him and arched his eyebrows. “You want help getting dressed? Might be kinda hard on your own.”

Mac stared at him and then shook his head, hoping he wasn’t blushing. “N-No, I can do it,” he said, stuttering a little. “It’s fine.”

“There it is again,” Jack replied, and sighed. “Look, you can’t properly move your left arm, how are you plannin’ on getting dressed?”

“I’ll figure it out,” Mac mumbled, but he knew he’d been beaten. Carefully he pushed the blankets down and swung his legs over the side of his bed. “Fine, just...”

“I won’t ogle you, promise,” Jack said, sitting down behind him and untying the gown. “Just wanna help you get your shirt on.”

Mac shrugged it off, hissing when he jostled his shoulder. The drugs must’ve been wearing off, but that was fine, Mac could handle a little bit of pain. Once the gown was off Jack grabbed a t-shirt from the bag and slowly helped Mac put it on, gently putting his left arm through the sleeve. “See? That wasn’t that bad,” Jack said with a smile. “Now how about some pants?”

Mac’s cheeks turned red again and he ducked his head in an attempt to hide it. “Um... okay, yeah.” A sick feeling curdled his stomach, because he knew he was only ever nervous about being naked around another man when he was attracted to them, and—nope, no, he wasn’t going down that road, especially since Nikki’s death was so fresh in his memory. He studied the top of Jack’s head as he helped Mac put his feet inside the pant legs and pulled them up until Mac could finish the job. “Thank you, Jack. For... for this, but also for... saving my life, I guess.”

“You’re welcome,” Jack said, smiling in that way that made his eyes crinkle, and he was so _handsome_ that Mac’s brain shut off for a second. “I’d like to say anyone would have done what I did... but we both know that ain’t true.”

Mac nodded and stood up slowly, swaying a little, but Jack steadied him by grabbing his elbow. “Thanks,” Mac mumbled, and then something occurred to him. “Why were you near Lake Como anyway?”

Jack sighed, keeping a hand on Mac’s good shoulder so he couldn’t topple over. His hands were _huge_ , Mac noticed, and they were so sure when they drew that gun earlier but so gentle when they touched him. “Told you I was CIA... what I didn’t mention was that I was also at that little shindig, trying to get to the weapon,” he said, steering Mac out of the room and stopping to pick up a bag of prescriptions, which also allowed Mac to sign his discharge papers. He waited to speak again until they were in the elevator. “Saw you run like a bat outta hell with those goons shooting at you, followed you and Fielding all the way to your van... but by the time I got there it was too late. The bad guys were gone and I figured you were dead along with your friends, until I got down to the water and realized you were still twitching.”

“But... why help me?” Mac asked quietly. “You had no idea who I was.”

“That’s true,” Jack admitted as they step out of the elevator and headed to the parking lot. “I dragged you out of the water, revived you when there was no pulse... once I got you back and called for the ambulance, I called my boss. I needed to know if you were a US operative or someone from another country.”

“And let me guess, after a lot of bureaucracy you got to talk to Patty?” Mac leaned against Jack a little, grateful for the support as they stopped near a nondescript sedan, surely a rental.

“Oh yeah, she was just delighted to hear from me,” Jack said wryly, helping Mac into the passenger’s seat. “With you playing Sleeping Beauty we had a while to talk, though, and she decided it’d be easier to work with me instead of against me. I’ve been looking to leave the CIA for a while anyway.”

“Why?” Mac asked before he can stop himself, and he winced. “Sorry, that’s... none of my business.” He didn’t want Jack to feel pressured to talk, so he tried to get the conversation back to DXS. “So, you know Patty, huh? It kind of seems like you’ve got... history.”

“We do,” Jack confirmed, starting up the car. It appeared to be the middle of the afternoon, and he slipped on a pair of yellow aviators. “We were actually at the Farm at the same time. Solid lady, tough as nails. And as for leaving the CIA... if I’m being honest, the priorities over there have shifted a _lot_ in the past few years and I’m not into it.”

“Sounds like the CIA,” Mac muttered, because all the CIA agents he had met were... well, dicks with questionable goals. Until Jack, that was, because he didn’t seem like those others guys at _all_. “So where are we going?” he asked, looking outside the window. “Straight to the airport?”

“Patty said you were sharp, she wasn’t kidding,” Jack teased, navigating the narrow crowded streets of Milan with ease. “I was readin’ your file, it’s pretty impressive. Two years at MIT, three years as an EOD technician?”

“Yep, that’s right,” Mac said, preening a little under Jack’s attention. “What about you? Seems like you were probably military before you were CIA.”

“That’s correct,” Jack replied, and Mac almost missed it, but Jack’s hands tightened on the steering wheel for a split second. “Delta Force, for quite a while.”

Mac whistled. “Now _that’s_ impressive,” he said, deciding not to look too much into what he observed. “You guys are like the best of the best.”

Jack smiled a little, but it didn’t touch his eyes like it did back in the hospital. “You EOD techs aren’t so bad yourself. A little crazy, but that never hurt anything.”

“I’d contradict that if I could, but I really can’t,” Mac said, wincing as he shifted in his seat. “It was... challenging work. I liked it.”

“You liked almost getting blown up to kingdom come?” Jack asked incredulously, but he was smiling again and this time it seemed more genuine.

“Almost is the key word,” Mac said, grinning a little. “I was good at what I did and... I was helping people. In a way.” He sighed. “That’s what I was missing when I was at the MIT. I wanted to do something that matters.”

“Seems like you’re doing that right now,” Jack said, glancing over at him as they started down the road that led to the airport. “And I can tell that you’re tough. Workin’ together oughta be fun.”

“I hope so,” Mac replied, his heart fluttering when Jack complimented him _again_. “Wait... we’re working _together_? Like partners?”

“Yeah?” Jack said slowly, glancing at him again. “You do remember Patty offered me a job, right? And I took it?”

“Yes, yeah, I just... wasn’t sure what job exactly it was,” Mac replied, stumbling over words a little. “I mean... that makes sense, I guess.”

“I wouldn’t be guarding you in a hospital in Milan for a month if we weren’t partnered up together,” Jack said, and then sighed. “Look, I’m not trying to replace your old partner. I know losing him must feel awful.”

Mac thought about what he wanted to say for a moment. “Owen and I weren’t close, like at all. He was good at his job... we didn’t get along. I’m sorry he’s dead, but I’m not going to miss working with him.”

“That’s fair,” Jack said, stopping the car on the tarmac next to the DXS jet. He must’ve called Patty when he went to talk to the nurse because it was all fueled up and ready to go. “I’d argue that he wasn’t _that_ good at his job, though. He’s dead and you got shot.”

“That wasn’t his fault,” Mac argued, slowly getting out of the car. Jack was almost immediately by his side and Mac was grateful for it because he didn’t feel that steady just yet. “We... we were ambushed, he had no chance to react.”

“Maybe,” Jack muttered, but he didn’t sound convinced. “There are a few things I’d do differently in that situation, but... that’s just me.”

“Okay, so what would you have done?” Mac asked, biting the inside of his cheek to keep in a groan as they climbed the stairs into the plane.

“I would’ve been looking for threats instead of worrying about you turning over the weapon, which I’m sure he was,” Jack replied, lowering Mac into one of the plush seats. “Depending on how the dude was holdin’ Nikki, I might’ve even taken a shot at him.”

“He... he was shocked I turned it over,” Mac said quietly, his hands twitching. He didn’t have a paperclip to play with, though, so he forced his hands to still. “And... the bad guy had his arm wrapped around her neck from behind? He was taller than her.”

“Possible to shoot him, then,” Jack said, glancing at Mac’s hands before looking at his face again. “The worst thing was those two guys sneaking up behind you. The ones that took him out.”

“I didn’t even hear them,” Mac admitted, trying and failing to get comfortable in his seat. “I was so focused on Nikki... and it didn’t matter because he shot her anyway.”

“I’m sorry, Mac,” Jack murmured, sitting down in the seat across from him, putting a hand on his knee briefly. “You want a pain pill?”

“I don’t,” Mac muttered, but then sighed. “But I think I need one.”

“Not a fan of painkillers, huh?” Jack asked, reaching for the bag with the medication. “I get it. I always feel weird after I take them.”

“Same,” Mac mumbled, choosing not to mention they also kind of made him horny. The jet started moving a moment later and he frowned. “Patty’s not coming back with us?”

“Who said I wasn’t?” Patty asked from the back of the plane, scaring the shit out of Mac. He glared at Jack when he only chuckled, clearly not startled at all. “You must be out of it if you didn’t know I was here, Mac.”

“Maybe I don’t see you as a threat,” Mac countered, taking the painkiller and antibiotic that Jack handed him, along with a bottle of water. “Or maybe I just couldn’t see you because I don’t have my glasses.” A smell hit his nose and he looked at Patty in confusion. “Did you bring food with you?”

“ _That_ you notice right away,” Patty said wryly, and then lifted up a huge paper bag. “Yes, I did bring food. I figured you didn’t eat and I wasn’t going to listen to you whine during the entire flight.”

“What did you bring?” Mac asked, perking up a little, and Jack chuckled again.

“Plenty of Italian food,” she replied. “But let’s wait for the plane to take off.”

Mac pouted and Patty rolled her eyes, taking the seat next to Jack. Once the plane was in the air she started unpacking everything, and Mac’s mouth watered when he got handed a container of spaghetti and meatballs, along with fresh bread.

“This looks great,” Jack commented, taking a big bite of his own food and groaning a little. “Thanks, Patty.”

“That has to be the first time I’ve heard you say those words to me,” Patty remarked, and this time Jack rolled his eyes.

Mac sensed a little tension there, but knew better than to ask about it right now, so he focused on his food. The pain pill he took was starting to work, and Mac hoped he could fall asleep before he embarrassed himself in front of Jack. The food helped to squash any potential nausea from the medication, and Mac forced himself to eat slower than he wanted to, knowing he probably hadn’t had much more than broth for the past month. Little flashes of memory were coming back, including Jack spoon-feeding him, and it caused him to stare at his new partner in amazement.

“What’s wrong?” Jack asked, raising an eyebrow. “Something on my face?”

“A bit of sauce, actually,” Mac mumbled, smiling when Jack cursed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “But nothing is wrong, it’s just...” He sighed, and oh no, he was starting to babble like he usually did when he was drugged. “I remember you... taking care of me? While I was mostly out of it?”

Jack nodded. “Yep, that was me. Why, are my nursing skills not up to your standards?”

“No, it’s just...” Mac trailed off, chewing on another bite of meatball as he thought it over. “I feel like I’m spending a lot of time thanking you, but... Owen never would’ve done that for me.”

“Well, I’m not him,” Jack said, and Mac suddenly realized Patty wasn’t sitting next to Jack anymore. She probably moved to the back of the plane again and Mac somehow completely missed it. “And I know you should say bad things about people who are dead, but... I’m kinda not liking that Owen dude.”

“Like I said, we weren’t friends,” Mac mumbled, already feeling his eyelids drooping. He made a surprised sound when Jack took away his empty container and helped him recline his chair, pulling a blanket out of the overhead bin.

“You look like you need a nap,” he commented, flashing Mac a grin. “And since we’ve got at least a thirteen hour flight ahead of us, that ain’t a bad idea.”

“But I don’t wanna sleep,” Mac whined, forcing himself to open his eyes. “I’ve been mostly asleep for a month.” He sighed and curled up in his chair, looking at Jack. “I wanna keep talking to you.”

Jack’s eyes widened in surprise and he sat back down, tossing the blanket on top of Mac. “You could use some rest, you know,” he eventually said. “You’re still recovering.”

Mac’s brows furrowed. “How bad was it?”

“Well, you were dead for a couple minutes,” Jack said dryly, his lips twitching in amusement. “Giving you mouth-to-mouth and CPR was... an experience, especially when you threw up water and champagne all over me.” His expression turned serious again. “You wound up with pneumonia and an infection in your shoulder... it was touch and go for a while.”

“You gave me mouth-to-mouth?” Mac asked, his eyelids growing heavier. “I don’t remember.”

“Like I said, you were kinda dead at that point,” Jack said, smiling a little. “And I feel like you’re focusing on the wrong thing here.”

“Right, touch and go, almost died,” Mac mumbled, and the last thing he remembered before drifting off was muttering, “Wish I remembered.”

~***~

Jack sat across from Mac for their entire flight, only moving to use the bathroom or stretch his legs. He stopped to chat quietly with Patty a couple of times, but he always returned to his post, used to being by Mac’s side after about a month of watching him do little more than sleep, eat, and shit. It was nice to hear his voice for the first time back at the hospital even if it was raspy from disuse, and Jack had enjoyed talking with him the whole way to the airport.

Now they were finally descending over Los Angeles, and Jack leaned forward, putting a gentle hand on Mac’s blanket-covered knee. “Hey, stud, it’s time to wake up.” Mac whined and mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, but he didn’t open his eyes. He was curled up in his reclined chair, in a position that couldn’t be too comfortable considering his injuries, but the painkillers he took earlier probably still helped dull the pain.

Jack smiled a little because Mac was adorable as hell like that... and he also looked way younger than his file said he was, so Jack shook his head and instead of staring at him he squeezed his knee lightly. “Come on, Mac. Wakey wakey.” Those bright blue eyes blinked open slowly, muzzy with confusion until they focused on Jack. Then he yawned and sat up, making a pained sound and dropping back down a second later. “Hey, take it easy,” Jack soothed, aware of Patty’s gaze boring into the side of his head. “We’re in LA, hoss, you can relax.”

“Mhmm, not really,” Mac said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes like a little kid. “Bozer doesn’t know I’m a spy.”

“I know,” Jack reminded him gently, squeezing his knee again before letting go. “Remember, the official story is you were in a car accident. From what I heard he really wanted to get to the hospital to see you, but Patty convinced him not to.”

Mac nodded and sat up again, slower this time. “I hate lying to him,” he said softly, his eyes cutting to Patty for a split second before he looked at Jack again. “Makes me feel like the world’s worst best friend.”

Jack smiled sympathetically, a pang in his chest as he was reminded of Diane and Riley. “I’ve been there, man, I know it sucks,” he said, holding on to Mac’s knee while the plane landed, then sitting back. “But look at it this way: you’re protecting him. If he knew what you did for a living, he’d be a target.” He helped Mac stand without waiting to be prompted. “I was thinkin’ maybe I could come with you? I don’t exactly have a place to stay, but I could at least get you settled at home before I find a hotel.”

“I’d like that,” Mac said, giving him a small smile as they slowly made their way down the stairs. “Actually... you could stay with me, if you wanted?” he offered, looking at Jack hesitantly. “I mean, Bozer lives with me, and we don’t really have a guest room... but the couch is decent. You wouldn’t have to pay for the hotel while looking for an apartment.”

The offer made Jack feel warm, and he smiled back at Mac. “That would be awesome, Mac. Thank you.” There was a rental car waiting for them on the tarmac, and once Jack had Mac in the passenger’s seat he turned to face Patty, who handed them their bags. “Don’t worry, I’ll watch his back.”

“I know you will,” Patty said, and to Jack’s ears it sounded vaguely like a threat. “Get some rest. I’ll stop by tomorrow if I hear anything about the weapon.”

Jack couldn’t help but roll his eyes a little. “Straight back to work, huh?” he asked, making a face. “You could give him a bit more time to rest and take it easy, you know.”

“He’ll be beating himself up over the weapon until we find it,” Patty replied. “The sooner it happens the better.”

Jack gave her a mock salute and tossed their bags in the back before he got behind the wheel. “Hey, don’t fall asleep on me,” he teased, nudging Mac gently with his elbow when he saw his lids droop. “You need to tell me where I’m going, remember? Your address wasn’t in your file.”

“And here I thought you knew everything about me by now,” Mac said sleepily, and yawned widely, making a soft sound in the back of his throat. “Take a left here.”

Jack followed his directions, and since he didn’t want him to fall asleep again he asked, “So what are we going to tell your buddy Bozer? Who am I?”

“Um... that’s a good question,” Mac said, scratching the side of his face and frowning when he felt the stubble there, no doubt used to being clean shaven like he was when Jack found him. “If I tell him we work together he’s gonna ask why he hasn’t met you before... maybe I met you while I was in the hospital? But why would you come back with me...” He glanced at Jack. “Any ideas?”

“Hmm, let’s see,” Jack murmured, thinking for a moment. “How about this: I got hurt in the car accident you were in, but it wasn’t that serious since I look just fine,” he started, years of lying about his identity coming in handy right now. “And we became friends... and when Patty found out about my military background she offered me a job as a security guard? She was looking for someone anyway because one of the guards retired.”

Mac stared at him for a moment, then grinned, bright like the sun. “That’s perfect.” He gave some more directions and soon they pulled into the driveway of a gorgeous Midcentury bungalow in Laurel Canyon. “Before you ask, I inherited the house from my grandfather. He passed away the first year I was at MIT, and since my parents aren’t in the picture he left everything to me.”

“Sorry to hear about your grandfather,” Jack murmured, deciding not to ask about Mac’s parents, not wanting to pry. He took a better look at the house and whistled. “Man, this house looks amazing.”

“It’s even better inside,” Mac said with a grin, reaching for the handle to open the door. “There’s also a deck and a fire pit.”

Jack resisted the urge to rub his hands together gleefully. He already couldn’t believe he got away from the CIA, let alone got a new job, and now he had a cool partner with an even cooler house? Something was about to go wrong, he just didn’t know what. They got out of the car and Jack hauled the bags along, sticking close to Mac in case he felt unsteady. The house was dark and quiet, and Jack had to wonder if this Bozer guy was asleep—they did travel back in time, so it was around three in the morning.

They closed the door and Mac locked it before glancing around in the dark. “I’m sure Bozer’s asleep,” he murmured, answering Jack’s unspoken question. “Patty probably—”

In that moment a loud crash sounded from somewhere down the hall and then a man stumbled out of one of the room. “Mac!” he exclaimed with huge eyes, quickly making his way to Mac and hugging him. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Mac grunted with the impact but hugged him back. “Hey, Bozer.” He guarded his shoulder a little when they broke apart but smiled at his friend. “This is Jack. I wouldn’t be okay without him.”

“I’d like to say that’s an exaggeration, but it ain’t,” Jack drawled, dropping the bags and sticking out a hand for Bozer to shake. “How you doin’, man?”

Bozer eyed his hand for a moment before shaking it. “I’m... confused,” he said, and Jack couldn’t help but chuckle. “Who are you exactly?”

“I was kinda involved in the accident,” Jack started, lying about this coming as easy to him as breathing. “The car that hit Mac’s bumped into mine. Didn’t get hurt too badly and I managed to get Mac out of the wreck before it went up in flames.”

Bozer’s eyes got huge and he pumped Jack’s hand harder. “In that case I’m Wilt Bozer and I’m extremely grateful you saved my best friend’s life.” He looked at Mac. “Where’s he sleeping? Don’t tell me you’re gonna make him take the couch.”

“I was... but the couch isn’t great for sleeping,” Mac admitted, glancing at Jack sheepishly. “We could share my bed, if you want?”

Jack was pretty sure his brain gave up right there, packed up its suitcases, and went on vacation, but years of training helped him recover in about a second. “Y-Yeah, sure, I don’t mind,” he said, his voice stuttering only a little. “But just so you know, I’ve slept in all kinds of weird places, I’m sure your couch isn’t that bad.”

“Oh, it _is_ , trust me,” Bozer told him, and since the house was still completely dark he flipped on the lights. “It’s a torture device.”

Jack raised an eyebrow at the eclectic decor, but it all kind of... _worked_ in a weird way, even the polar bear. “Alrighty, in that case I’ll deal with Mac’s snoring.”

“Hey! I don’t snore,” Mac protested, then frowned. “Do I?”

“You do,” Bozer confirmed, grabbing Mac’s bag and dragging it down the hall to his room, evidently expecting Jack to follow. “It’s almost as bad as the couch.”

Jack let Mac go first, wanting to catch him in case he tripped or stumbled, and together they headed toward his room. His eyes widened when he stepped inside and he slowly glanced around. There were... all kinds of things, trophies, skies, an old racket, tons of... weird stuff, and a ladder leading... somewhere. “Wow, this is cool,” he breathed out, because he _loved_ it, and while he didn’t know Mac that well yet, he could tell this room just screamed _Mac_.

Mac smiled almost shyly. “Thanks.” He turned a little, evidently sensing Bozer watching him. “I’m good, Boze, really. Just gonna sleep, kinda like I did on the plane.”

“Okay, good, that’s... good,” Bozer said, backing up towards the door. “I’ve got a thing in the morning, so I’m gonna go to bed too. Yell if you need anything.”

“I will. Promise,” Mac said softly, and it was clear how much his best friend meant to him. It was also obvious how much lying to Bozer was tearing Mac up inside, but Jack meant what he said earlier—sometimes the only way to keep someone safe was to hide the truth from them. Once Bozer left Mac visibly relaxed, running a hand through his hair. “I need to use the bathroom and brush my teeth, then I really will crash,” he said to Jack. “Let me guess, Patty’s gonna stop by in the morning once Bozer leaves for work? I’m sure she’s been doing her best to track the weapon.”

“Yeah, she’s coming,” Jack confirmed, but then tilted his head. “Mac, are you sure you want to jump straight back to work? You’re not a hundred percent yet, you’ve gotta know that.”

“I do, but... it’s my fault the bad guys have the weapon,” Mac said, guilt lacing his voice. “I need to get it back.”

“Yeah, Patty mentioned you’d feel guilty if you just sat around,” Jack said, smiling when Mac squawked at him indignantly. “If that’s the case, then I’ve got your back. Plus it’d probably be better if the weapon was in our hands and not with the bad guys.”

“It definitely would,” Mac said, giving Jack another one of those pretty smiles. He took a few steps toward the door in the back. “Give me a few minutes and then the bathroom is yours.”

Once he closed the door behind him, Jack sighed and bent down to look through his bag. He made sure his gun was secure but easily accessible, and while he would prefer to have it on the nightstand it was probably too risky—at least tonight since he wasn’t sure what Bozer’s habits were and if he was going to barge into the room in the morning. Jack kicked off his boots and changed, trading his jeans and t-shirt for sweatpants and a worn-down sleeveless shirt.

Normally he slept in just his underwear, but he kept his clothes on in deference to Mac. Once Mac emerged from the bathroom Jack ducked inside with his dopp kit and brushed his teeth, then used the toilet. He came back into the bedroom and smiled when he saw Mac was already snuggled up in bed. It looked like he changed into his own clothes and Jack didn’t blame him—the stuff he got for him in the gift shop was good for the flight, but his own clothes must’ve felt a lot better.

“You okay?” Mac asked sleepily, and Jack jumped a little.

“Shit, you scared me,” Jack whispered, walking up to the unoccupied side of the bed. “Thought you were already asleep. But yeah, I’m good.”

Mac smiled, not opening his eyes. “Good.” He sighed as Jack slid underneath the covers, liking the softness of the sheets and the warmth coming off Mac’s body. “G’night, Jack.”

“Sleep well, Mac,” Jack whispered, watching as his breathing evened out into a deep slumber. Once that happened Jack felt his own body grow heavy, and suddenly sleep came for him too, dragging him into unconsciousness.

~***~

When Mac blinked his eyes open in the morning at first he didn’t remember where he was. It took him a moment to recognize the ceiling in his room, even though it was a little blurry. Groaning, he shifted a little and reached for the glasses that he kept on the nightstand. He didn’t have it in him to put in contacts just yet, even though Jack would probably laugh when he saw him wearing glasses.

Speaking of Jack he was nowhere to be seen—he wasn’t in the bed, but before Mac could start wondering where he went he heard sounds coming from the kitchen. Having learned his lesson from the day before, Mac sat up slowly, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and standing up just as cautiously. He used the bathroom before heading to the kitchen, the delicious smell of cooking bacon hitting his nose.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Jack said, deftly flipping a pancake and grinning at him. “Get yourself some coffee, breakfast is almost ready.”

Mac stared at him, blinking slowly, and he looked around at the mountains of pancakes. “Wow,” he eventually said, blaming still being half-asleep for not coming up with anything better. “That smells amazing. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to,” Jack replied, grinning again. “You’re letting me stay here, it’s the least I could do.”

“It’s no big deal, really,” Mac said around a yawn, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He felt Jack’s eyes on him and raised a brow. “What?”

“Nothing, just... your glasses,” Jack replied, and while his voice sounded a little strange his expression was still open and happy. “I wasn’t expecting them. They look nice, though.”

“Oh,” Mac said, taking a sip of his coffee to hide the wince on his face. “You don’t have to lie to make me feel better, I know they’re awful. I just didn’t feel like putting in contacts, but I can go—”

“Whoa, whoa, hoss, slow down,” Jack interjected, raising a hand that was holding a spatula, looking at him with wide eyes. “They’re not awful. I mean it, they look nice.” He tilted his head. “And even if hypothetically they didn’t, I wouldn’t say anything, and I definitely wouldn’t make you put in contacts.”

Mac swallowed hard, thrown off-kilter by that response. It was the opposite of what Nikki would’ve said in every way—but wait, he shouldn’t be comparing his new partner to his dead girlfriend. Before he could figure out how to respond the front door swung open, and in walked Patty. “I’m not used to smelling food here unless Bozer’s cooking,” she commented, getting her own cup of coffee and looking grim. “You’re going to need the fortification. We’ve got twenty-seven dead scientists in Greenland and it looks like our weapon is biological.”

Mac’s heart dropped and he turned so that Patty didn’t see the look on his face. “Fuck,” he muttered, lifting his glasses and rubbing his eyes tiredly.

“Hey, this is not on you,” Jack said, and when Mac glanced at him he saw him glaring at Patty. “It’s not. You were trying to save a life, anyone decent would’ve done the same thing.”

Patty sighed. “He’s right, Mac, but here’s the thing: we need to get into Nikki’s computer, and the DXS techs have had zero luck because it’s so heavily encrypted.” She paused to let the weight of those words sink in. “Almost like she was trying to hide something.”

Mac went cold all over, his mind flashing to all the times Nikki would seduce him near her computer, just when he was about to catch a glimpse of her screen. He turned to face Patty again, looking her in the eye. “You think she was a traitor?”

“I don’t know, Mac,” Patty replied, holding his gaze. “But I’m afraid it’s a real possibility.”

As much as Mac didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to think he could’ve been that stupid... Patty’s words rang in his head. “If I may...” Jack started hesitantly. “I probably know someone who could help with the computer mumbo jumbo. But she ain’t gonna be happy to see me.”

Patty’s expression morphed into something almost amused. “Is _anyone_ ever happy to see you, Dalton?”

“Fair,” Jack said, pointing at her as he handed Mac a plate full of pancakes and bacon. “But I mean she’s _really_ not gonna be happy to see me... and I’ll need you to make a phone call.”

“You expect me to eat after finding out my dead girlfriend was probably a traitor?” Mac asked him, trying to give the plate back.

Jack’s expression went stony as he steered Mac and the plate toward the kitchen table. “Hell yeah I do. Dig in, it’s gonna be a long car ride.”

~***~

A while later they found themselves back in the rental car, on their way to... somewhere. “So... are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Mac asked, not missing the way Jack’s good mood faded away after they left his house. He blinked a few times, trying to get used to having contacts pressed against his eyeballs again. “You were being very mysterious when you talked to Patty.”

“I was trying not to get sucker punched,” Jack replied, trying for levity but missing the mark. He sighs, driving with one hand and pinching the bridge of his nose with the other like he has a headache. “We’re heading up north to Sacramento... but we’ll be detouring to Folsom.”

“The prison?” Mac asked, eyebrows rising when Jack nodded. “That’s where your computer genius is?”

“Yeah,” Jack replied, sounding nothing like he did earlier.

Instead his voice was flat and... _tired_ , Mac realized, and Jack suddenly looked like he was supporting the weight of the world with his shoulders. “You mentioned it’s a woman, so... who is she?” Mac asked, but Jack didn’t reply. “I don’t want to pressure you into telling me, but... I’m going to find out anyway, Jack.”

“Her name is Riley Davis,” Jack said after a moment of silence, and Mac was surprised by the emotion that shook his voice before he got it under control. “She’s the daughter of this lady I used to date, Diane. I loved that kid like she was my own, man—lots of times I’d take her places while Diane was at work, just the two of us, and it never felt like babysitting.” He paused, hands tightening on the wheel. “Riley’s father, Elwood, was a drunk and a bastard. One night he came by and gave Diane a hard time, so I... I beat him up. After he crawled away, she kicked me out. Said she couldn’t trust me around her daughter anymore.”

“But... you were protecting her, both of them,” Mac said slowly, his heart breaking for Jack. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Yeah, well, it did to her,” Jack whispered, the amount of pain in his voice making Mac shudder. “Worst thing is... as far as I know, she told Riles I left. That it was my choice. She was twelve then.”

Mac hesitated for a second, then reached out to lightly touch Jack’s arm, ignoring the pain that flared in his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Jack, that’s... awful.”

“Yeah, trust me, I know,” Jack said, letting out a weak chuckle. “Not sure what she did to get herself put in prison other than it was related to hacking some government database—that’s how I know she’s capable of getting into Nikki’s computer.” He glanced at Mac, didn’t comment on the fact that he hadn’t taken his hand back yet. “How you doin’, by the way? Patty was pretty clear back at the house that she thought Nikki might’ve been involved in the theft of the weapon.”

“I... don’t know,” Mac admitted after a moment, and then forced himself to take his hand away. “I... don’t want to believe it, you know? But at the same time... I never saw the screen of her computer, she always found ways to distract me when I got too close.”

“Yikes,” Jack muttered. “How long were you together?”

“Pretty much since I joined DXS, which was right after I got discharged from the Army,” Mac replied, tugging a paperclip from his pocket. He remembered to bring some this time and fiddling with one always made him feel better. “She was my first serious relationship.” _With a woman_ , he added mentally but didn’t dare say out loud, the military’s don’t ask don’t tell mentality pounded firmly into his brain, no matter the butterflies he felt when Jack smiled at him. “So I guess it’s hard to think that she could do something like that... but logically I know it’s possible.”

“You’re pretty incredible, you know?” Jack said, and Mac’s jaw actually dropped open because that was the last thing he expected to hear. “I mean... your ability to look at things from the logical point of view, not jumping to conclusions... not everyone would be capable of that.” He smiled a little. “Plus I was told you’re a genius, so that’s also amazing.”

Mac was speechless for a moment, because... what? “I... thank you,” he said, stumbling over his words a little. “I’m not sure ‘amazing’ is the right word... most people just think I’m weird.”

“Well, I’m not most people,” Jack countered, taking the exit off the highway for the prison. “I just hope Riley will agree to see us.”

“When was the last time you saw her?” Mac asked, doing his best to stop himself from touching Jack’s arm again.

“The day I packed up my stuff and left,” Jack murmured regretfully. “I didn’t want her to have any problems with Diane, so I didn’t contact her... but I kept an eye on her and I know she kinda hates me.”

“Maybe you should tell her the truth then,” Mac suggested. “That you didn’t want to leave and it wasn’t your choice?”

“I can try that, but why would she believe me over her mom?” Jack pulled into the parking lot outside Folsom and cut the engine, tilting his head back and shutting his eyes.

Mac wanted nothing more than to move his hand again and smooth out the lines creasing Jack’s handsome face, but he knew that kind of touch wouldn’t be welcome. “All you can do is try,” he said, offering Jack a smile when he looks at him. “The rest is up to her.”

Jack sighed and then smiled weakly. “Maybe you’re right,” he murmured, and they got out of the car. “I guess I should also tell her I wasn’t really a bathroom tile salesman.” When Mac looked at him incredulously, he explained, “That was my cover. It’s not like I could’ve told them I was CIA.”

“That’s an... oddly specific job,” Mac said, trying desperately not to react when their arms brushed together as they pushed through the doors. He put his Swiss Army Knife in the glove compartment like Jack did with his gun, so getting through security was easy. Soon they found themselves in a small cinderblock room with a metal table and two chairs bolted to the floor. “Also you _really_ don’t look like you sell tile for a living.”

“I know, right?” Jack snorted. “I never understood why that was my cover and not something I actually knew shit about. Like, I don’t know, maybe—”

He didn’t get to finish because the sound of the door being unlocked echoed around the room and a moment later a guard walked in, along with a woman wearing an orange jumpsuit. She was only a couple years younger than Mac, but the look in her eyes was jaded and cynical. Her black hair was yanked into a messy ponytail and she didn’t say a word to either of them until the guard put her in the chair and left the room. Then her gaze flicked over Mac curiously before settling on Jack, her mouth turning down in a scowl. “What the fuck do _you_ want? And you must want something, because you’ve never bothered to visit before.”

Jack visibly flinched and Mac felt bad for him, but he forced himself to stay quiet. “I didn’t figure you’d like to see me,” Jack said, the hand that was resting on his thigh clenched in a fist. “But maybe I should’ve visited before... seems like there’s stuff we should talk about.”

“No, there’s not,” Riley replied, her voice ice cold. “Or do you want to talk about how you fucked right out of our lives without any warning?”

Jack looked like he was about to protest—and probably make things worse—so Mac decided to intervene. “Riley,” he started, and her dark gaze snapped to him, eyes narrowing. “You guys probably do need to talk, but we’re not here for that. My name is Angus MacGyver, and I have a problem that only you can solve.”

“So you do want something,” Riley said, raising her eyebrow. “How predictable.”

“Before you start getting even more sarcastic, how about you hear what I’ve got to say?” Mac suggested, and then slowly looked around the tiny room. “I bet you’d like to cut your sentence short, wouldn’t you?”

Riley studied him more closely, leaning against the table. She was close enough for him to feel her breath on his face, warm and generically minty. “I’m supposed to be here for five years, so yeah. But you know I hacked into somewhere I didn’t belong, and clearly you work for the government.” She glanced at Jack. “He used to be CIA, but you don’t seem like the spook type... you must be DXS.”

Mac grinned at her and got the distinct feeling that they were going to be good friends. “Very good. Why’d you do the hack?”

“Have you ever done something wrong for the right reasons?” Riley asked him, and when Mac nodded, she said, “It was like that.”

“Wait, you know I was CIA?” Jack asked before Mac could reply. “Since when?”

Riley gave him a look. “Uh, since pretty much always?” She replied with a question of her own, and Mac almost laughed at the dumbfounded look on Jack’s face. “Tile salesman? Seriously?”

“ _Bathroom_ tile salesman,” Mac corrected, sharing a conspiratorial grin with Riley. He signaled the guard and they stood. “So, you coming with us or what?”

“If it gets me out of here? Hell yeah,” Riley replied, allowing Mac to take her elbow once the guard unlocked her cuffs.

They walked out as a group and were met with Patty, who looked less than thrilled as they ducked into a conference room. “What the hell, Mac? Getting her help with Nikki’s computer is one thing, but this isn’t supposed to be a field trip.”

“If she can help us, I promised to get her out of here,” Mac said, not flinching when Patty glared at him. He was aware of Jack looking at him in surprise, but he ignored it for now and turned back to Riley. “No one at DXS was able to hack this computer.” He gestured at Nikki’s laptop on the table. “Work your magic, and if you can get in, you’re out of here.”

Riley looked at the computer for a moment, then turned to the prison guard. “Can I borrow your baton?” The guard looked at Patty, who nodded, so he handed it over—and everyone shouted in horror when Riley smashed Nikki’s laptop into pieces.

“What the hell, Riley! That was our only lead!” Jack exclaimed, grabbing her by the shoulder and taking the baton away.

“Yeah, and you went about getting to the information all wrong,” Riley snapped, shaking off his grasp. She dug through the pieces and came up with the computer’s hard drive. “All we have to do is stick this in another laptop and we’ll be good to go. Totally negates her encryption.”

Everyone stared at her and then Mac grinned, unable not to. “I guess it’s true what they say, the simplest solutions are the best.” Patty gave him an incredulous look, but he only shrugged in response. “What? I don’t know much about coding and computers, but what she says makes sense.”

“Did you bring another computer with you?” Riley asked Patty, crossing her arms and tilting her head. “Because that’s the only way I’m using this hard drive for anything other than a bookmark.”

Patty sighed and reached into her messenger bag, pulling out her laptop and handing it off. “Don’t break it.”

“No promises,” Riley said sweetly, cracking her knuckles as she sat down at the table. She deftly removed the back of the laptop using a paperclip she stole from Mac’s pocket as a screwdriver. It was captivating to watch, the way she put the hard drive into the computer and set everything up, like she’d been doing it all the time... which she most definitely wasn’t since she wasn’t allowed to use computers in prison.

“Mac, can I talk to you?” Jack murmured quietly, lightly squeezing his elbow.

Mac nodded, and together they stepped away, leaving Riley with Patty watching her like a hawk. “What’s up?”

“First off, how’s the shoulder?” Jack asked, looking at him with those gorgeous eyes. This close Mac noted that their brown irises had little flecks of gold in them. “You didn’t take a painkiller this morning.”

“I wanted to be on my toes,” Mac replied, trying to ignore how being the focus of Jack’s concern made him feel. “I’m okay, seriously. Now what’s wrong?”

“We’re really taking Riley out of here, right?” Jack’s voice cracked, looking over Mac’s shoulder at her for a second. “You didn’t just say that to get her help?”

“Of course we are, Jack,” Mac said softly, and once again he barely stopped himself from reaching out to touch him. “I’d never get her hopes up like that only to get her help.”

“Okay, I... that’s good,” Jack whispered, something emotional flashing in his eyes. “Patty doesn’t seem too happy about it, though.”

“I’ll handle Patty,” Mac said, giving Jack a small smile. “I promise. Riley leaves with us today.”

“Thank you, Mac.” Jack touched his elbow again, steering him back towards the table, where Patty was looking over Riley’s shoulder at the computer screen. “Find anything good?”

“I don’t know about good, but it’s a lead,” Patty said, and pointed at a picture of a bald man—the same one who killed Owen and Nikki before he shot Mac. “This guy, John Kendrick, is the one who probably tested the bioweapon in Greenland. He’s been spotted in San Francisco, and this man, Benjamin Chen, could potentially be his buyer.”

“And you found all of this on Nikki’s hard drive?” Mac asked, and even though he expected it, his chest clenched when Riley nodded. “I guess your theory was right then,” he told Patty, forcing his voice to stay calm and emotionless. “If she had pictures of this Kendrick guy on her computer... that means they were working together. He probably decided to double-cross her, that’s why he shot her.”

“I’m sorry,” Riley said softly, standing up. “You guys were close?” When Mac nodded, she smiled grimly. “People suck.”

“You need to get to San Francisco,” Patty declared, taking back her computer. “I’ll go to DXS and run comms, see if we can get some eyes on Kendrick or Chen before you arrive.” She stared hard at Riley. “Don’t mistake Agent MacGyver’s kindness for my own. If you put a toe out of line, you’ll wind up right back here.”

Riley gave her a mock salute, and if Mac wasn’t busy beating himself up for being so damn stupid he would laugh. The gesture made Jack chuckle, though, and while Patty glared sharply at him, Riley smiled a little... but the smile was gone before Jack could notice it. They headed out to the rental car and Mac pulled out his phone while Jack walked ahead, holstering his gun at the small of his back after retrieving it from the glovebox.

Mac let himself surreptitiously check out Jack’s ass, then said to Riley, who was walking next to him, “There’s a mall between here and San Francisco that we can stop at to get you some clothes.”

“Cool,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Were you just checking out Jack?”

“What? Of course not,” Mac immediately said, giving her an incredulous look... or at least he hoped it seemed like that. It was a miracle he didn’t blush and his voice didn’t shake, but maybe his experience as a spy was coming in handy. “Speaking of Jack...” he started, looking for a subject change, but also wanting to maybe help a little. “You may want to listen to what he has to say, you know. Once he decides to try and talk to you.”

Riley pursed her lips in thought. “Maybe. But only if he doesn’t pretend to be my dad.” She looked surprised when Mac opened the back door for her, but thanked him quietly and slid into the seat.

He walked around and takes the passenger’s side, offering Jack a smile and telling him about the mall. “We can also get her a computer,” Mac suggested, turning to look at Riley over his shoulder. “Nice job swiping that paperclip earlier.”

“Thanks,” Riley murmured, ducking her head, but Mac caught a glimpse of a smile on her face.

Jack started the car and drove out of the parking lot, and Mac didn’t miss how tense he was. “So, Riley,” he started, wanting to avoid an awkward silence, plus he had a feeling Jack enjoyed listening to Riley’s voice. “How does it feel to be outside after... huh, I don’t even know how long you’ve been locked up?”

“Long enough,” Riley said, pulling her hair free of its ponytail and combing her fingers through it. It was dry and a little tangled, probably from shitty soap in the prison. “It _is_ nice to be out for something other than rec time.” She cocked her head to one side. “I can’t figure you out, MacGyver. I get why Jack’s with DXS—he’s obviously the muscle—but what do you do, exactly?”

Mac thought about it for a moment, wondering how to reply. “Let’s put it that way,” he started, and even though his shoulder hurt a in this position he continued looking at Riley from the passenger seat. “You know how you hack computers?” When she nodded he grinned. “I do that with everything else.”

“Cool,” Riley said, offering him a smile in return. “So you’re some kind of whiz kid?”

“Huge nerd,” Mac confirmed, chuckling a little. He glanced at Jack. “But I wouldn’t still be here without Jack. He saved my life, even if I don’t really remember it.”

“Oh yeah?” Riley sat forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “What happened?”

Taking a deep breath, Mac told her about everything that happened, starting with the mission and ending with getting shot and falling into Lake Como. “Apparently in addition to getting shot I also drowned and was actually dead for a few minutes,” he said, smiling at Jack. “Jack found me, brought me back... and then spent a month sitting by my hospital bed, even though I was pretty much in a coma.”

Riley’s face went slack with surprise, and she suddenly looked much younger than she was. “So you did all of that for a guy you didn’t know?”

“Yeah, I did,” Jack replied, meeting Mac’s gaze and smiling back before he looked at her in the rear view mirror. “Because it was the right thing to do, and since I’ve done a lot of wrong in my life, I try to grab those opportunities where I can.”

Riley was quiet for a moment. “But he could’ve been a foreign spy. You didn’t know he was a good guy.”

“Good guy or not, he wouldn’t have deserved to die,” Jack replied with a shrug. “And once I knew he was one of ours I knew I had to stay. Probably would’ve stayed even if Patty hadn’t offered me a job.”

Riley hummed an acknowledgement, but something shifted in her gaze, maybe in Jack’s favor. “What’s up with her, anyway? She seems like a real hardass.”

“She can be,” Mac admitted as they pulled off the highway again, this time heading for the mall he told Jack about earlier. “But she always gets the job done.” When the car stopped they all got out, and Mac couldn’t hide a wince when his shoulder throbbed. “Fuck.”

“What’s wrong?” Jack asked immediately, his voice laced with concern. “You okay?”

“I’m... I’m fine,” Mac gritted out, his chest getting warmer because he was _still_ blown away by how much Jack actually cared. “Hurts a little, but I’ll be fine.”

“Uh, guys?” Riley asked hesitantly, her voice quiet. “Maybe... maybe I should wait in the car?” When Mac glanced up he saw people who passed them by stare at Riley and he remembered she was still in the orange jumpsuit. “Someone may call the police and report a potential jailbreak.”

“Shit, that’s a good point,” Jack said, but then he scratched his head. “But how are we gonna know what to buy you for a computer rig?”

“Here.” Mac took a deep breath and clenched his teeth, shrugging off of his leather jacket and holding it out for Riley. “Put this on, it makes it less obvious.” She took the jacket after a moment’s pause and Mac saw the faintest flush of embarrassment on her cheeks. “Hey,” he said quietly, waiting until he had her attention before he continued, “Don’t worry about what they think, okay? Focus on the mission and you’ll be fine.”

Riley chewed on her lower lip, but she nodded, taking a deep breath. Slowly, they started walking toward the mall entrance, and Jack gently grabbed his elbow to get his attention. “I have your painkillers with me,” he murmured. “You’re taking a pill soon.”

“I can’t,” Mac protested, keeping his voice low and glaring at anyone who looked twice at Riley. They were going to Target first to get her some clothes, and she could change in a dressing room. “I have to be on my game if we’re going after Kendrick.”

“You’re not gonna _have_ a game if you can’t use your arm,” Jack pointed out, dropping his hand but keeping close. “How about half a pill and we grab some food on our way out?”

Mac had a feeling Jack wasn’t going to let it go, so he sighed and nodded. “Fine,” he muttered, watching Riley as she started looking at some t-shirts. “But _you’re_ buying me something to eat.”

“Deal,” Jack agreed, grinning widely. “Pleasure doin’ business with you.”

Mac rolled his eyes and got his side pinched in retaliation, so he laughed and batted Jack’s hand away. His phone buzzed and he checked it to find a text from Patty. “Apparently they’ve figured out which hotel Benjamin Chen is staying at, so we have a radius to look in once we get to San Francisco,” he told Jack, keeping an eye on Riley to make sure nobody gave her trouble as she took the clothes she selected into the dressing room. “Hopefully we can catch Kendrick before he sells Chen the bioweapon.”

“That would be perfect,” Jack said, his eyes also glued to the dressing room Riley chose. “Otherwise it’ll be much harder to find Chen since he’s probably planning to hide somewhere once he buys it.”

Mac nodded in agreement, and they walked around for a bit, trying to kill time while Riley was changing. “How are you doing with all this?” Mac asked after a moment, and Jack looked at him in surprise. “With Riley and all that.”

For a moment Jack seemed just as touched by Mac’s concern as Mac was about Jack’s, and it made Mac wonder if Jack was just as screwed up as he was emotionally. “I’m... okay, more or less. Haven’t had much time to think about it, but it’s nice having her around... and she seems to like you.” He picked up a backpack and tossed it in their cart so Riley would have something to put her stuff in, and he also grabbed her a toiletry kit. “Think she’ll want makeup or somethin’?”

“I think so, good catch,” Mac said, smiling a little. “I can’t imagine how much she must’ve missed all that normal stuff while she was in prison.” He made a face. “I know nothing about makeup, though, so we have to wait for her.”

Jack nodded and then sighed, leaning against the cart. “It’s all kinda surreal to me, you know? I can’t believe how everything changed in my life, and so abruptly.”

Mac studied his face. “Do you regret it at all? The changes, I mean.”

Jack met his gaze, and the warmth in his eyes left Mac breathless. “Not even a little bit.”

Before Mac could muster up a response, Riley emerged from the dressing room in her new outfit, holding the tags in one hand and carrying some more clothes over her arm. Her jumpsuit must’ve gotten introduced to a trash can, and she smiled when she saw them standing by the makeup. “Thinking about trying a new look?” she asked, putting her items in the cart. “Or just stalling?”

“Jack figured you might want to get some makeup,” Mac told her, forcing himself to focus and trying not to get lost in Jack’s gorgeous eyes again. “But since we’re not really experts in that field... we decided to wait for you.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Riley said with a small smile. “I remember giving Jack a makeover when I was eleven, he looked pretty good wearing lipstick and mascara.”

Mac laughed so hard it hurt his shoulder but he didn’t care, too enamored with the idea of Jack patiently allowing a younger Riley to put makeup on him. He pushed the cart while Riley picked out what she wanted for cosmetics and skincare, and then they went to the checkout. Mac paid for everything without a second thought and they dropped it off at the car before heading to Best Buy so Riley could pick out what she needed for a computer. Her eyes actually sparkled when she saw all the electronics and she was gone before either Mac or Jack could say anything.

“Well, she’s excited,” Jack said, sounding amused. “She’s always been like that around any tech, going with her to the store was at least a two hour trip.” He sighed. “Hey, you know you don’t have to pay for everything, right?”

“Technically DXS just paid for that,” Mac said, waving the credit card he used in Jack’s direction. “And they’re gonna buy Riley’s computer stuff too, but like I said before, you’re definitely paying for food.” They sat down on a bench and Mac tilted his head back, closing his eyes and listening to the cacophony of sound inside the store. He was looking forward to getting his hands on Kendrick, maybe more than he’d like to admit.

“What’s on your mind?” Jack asked after a moment, and when Mac opened his eyes he saw Jack watching him.

“I... I’m thinking about Kendrick,” Mac admitted quietly. “And about getting back the weapon, and... maybe confronting him. I... I need to know when exactly it happened. Nikki betraying us, I mean.”

Jack bumped his knee against Mac’s. “Hey, no matter when it happened it ain’t your fault, hoss. She made her own choices, they just happened to be the wrong ones.”

“I know, it’s just...” Mac chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying to decide how to word what he felt. “I need to know if there was something I missed. If I could’ve figured out she went bad sooner.”

“I get a feeling you rarely miss anything, Mac,” Jack said gently. “And you can’t blame yourself for this. She was a spy, she was good at hiding things... plus we rarely suspect the people that we love. You couldn’t have known your girlfriend would go rogue.”

“But I feel like I should’ve,” Mac admitted quietly, picking at the edge of his sleeve. He spotted Riley filling up a basket with computer parts and realized she probably planned on building her own rig on the way to their destination. “Everybody always tells me I’m such a genius... but I’m not good with people. If Nikki really wanted to hide who she was it would’ve been easy around me.”

“Mac, you can’t keep beating yourself up over this,” Jack murmured, turning a little so that he was facing him. “I’m sure she was very careful, that’s why you didn’t realize what was happening.”

“Maybe,” Mac whispered, not really convinced. “I should’ve—you know what, never mind.” He shook his head a little, realizing bothering Jack with his doubts about his relationship with Nikki was pointless.

Jack bumped his knee again. “You should’ve...?”

“I probably never should’ve been with Nikki in the first place.” Mac had never said that out loud before, but now that he did it felt like a weight got lifted from his shoulders. He held out the card when Riley wandered over and plucked it from his hand, going to the cashier next. “She was just so... smart, and funny, and _really_ good at her job... and it was... easy to fall into that kind of relationship.”

“If she was that great... then why do you say you never should’ve been with her in the first place?” Jack asked, and he didn’t sound judgmental or incredulous, it was like... he genuinely wanted to know.

Mac swallowed hard and tugged on his sleeve again. “I don’t want to bore you with all that,” he murmured, because... he must be reading this wrong, right? There was no way Jack wsa actually interested in… in him like that. “It’s... complicated.”

Jack’s hands covered Mac’s, gently untangling his fingers from his sleeve and smoothing it out. “If you decide you wanna talk about it, just let me know,” he murmured, his soft gentle despite the roughness of his hands.

Before Mac could say anything, Riley approached them with two huge bags of stuff. “I’m all set,” she declared, not seeming phased by how they were touching. “What are we getting to eat on the road? McDonald’s?”

“If you want to, then sure,” Mac said, his voice coming out steady even though he definitely felt a little shaky on the inside. “You should choose, I bet prison food wasn’t... the best.”

Riley scoffed. “Yeah, that’s putting it mildly,” she muttered, and then raised an eyebrow at them. “So? Ready to go?”

“Hell yeah, let’s boogie,” Jack said, bouncing to his feet and tugging Mac along by his good arm.

It was good cover for Mac and he appreciated it—in fact, he appreciated _everything_ Jack had done for him, and he needed to figure out a way to make it up to him somehow. Maybe he could help him find an apartment once they were back in LA, or pay to have his stuff moved from wherever he lived before. He ignored the way his stomach sank at the idea of Jack moving out, but he knew there was no chance for Jack to keep living at his house. He must want his own space and it wasn’t like Jack would want to keep sharing a bed with Mac, so... maybe he could get a place that was at least nearby.

He shook himself out of his thoughts as they got closer to the car and after loading the bags into the trunk, they got back on the road.

~***~

A few hours later they arrived in San Francisco after chowing down on McDonald’s and Riley building her rig on the ride. They decided to trade their rental car for a handyman repair van that one of Patty’s guys dropped off, since it would allow them to park behind the hotel where they suspected Chen and Kendrick were going to meet without looking strange. Once that was done the three of them headed into the hotel, with Riley using her computer to look for their targets on the security cameras. The lobby was quite busy, but Mac hoped that with the three of them they’d be able to spot the men they were looking for.

“So what’s the plan, hoss?” Jack asked quietly, his eyes scanning their surroundings, and Mac could tell it was both for their targets and any threats. “Just hang out here, hope we find those dudes?”

Mac glanced around, then led them toward the stairs. “Let’s see if we can get a better vantage point.” They climbed up, but at that point a busload of tourists got dropped off and it was even harder to spot Chen or Kendrick. “Shit, we need to clear some of these people out.” He spotted a smoke alarm and had an idea. “Anybody see a housekeeping cart?”

“Over there.” Riley pointed at something, and when Mac followed her line of sight he spotted a housekeeping cart... and no one nearby. “What are you going to do?”

“You’ll see,” Mac said with a grin, chuckling when Jack sputtered. “Stay put. And don’t freak out when the fire alarm goes off.” He hurried over and assembled a quick, flameless smoke diversion by mixing some chemicals together. He stuck it under the smoke detector, waiting until the alarms started blaring through the hotel before he rejoined Jack and Riley at the banister. “Okay, see anyone who’s moving the wrong way? Or—”

He cut off, his gaze stuttering over a blonde woman that was half-turned away from him... and then she looked him in the eye, and he had no doubt that it was Nikki. It felt like time had frozen and they stared at each other for what felt like hours... but in reality it was just a split second, and then Nikki bolted. Without thinking Mac started running, ignoring Jack and Riley calling after him, and he raced down the stairs, following Nikki outside through the back door.

They tore down the alley, and when Mac heard footsteps behind him he glanced back and realized Kendrick was hot on his tail. He drew his gun and Mac ducked as bullets tore through the air around him. He kept his focus on Nikki, but she reached a vehicle and dove inside. It roared away down the street and out of sight, tires screaming on the pavement.

That was about the time that Kendrick reached Mac, pointing his gun at his head. “Hello again, Agent MacGyver,” he said. “You don’t die very well, do you?”

“Too stubborn, I guess,” Mac replied coldly, while his brain tried to come up with a way to defend himself. There wasn’t much he could do, unfortunately, because he was aware that one wrong move meant Kendrick would blow his brains out. “This was all a set-up, wasn’t it? The shooting at Lake Como?”

“Got it in one,” Kendrick confirmed, smirking at him coldly. “Nikki said it was the only way to make sure you’d give up on her and the bioweapon.”

“Yeah, well, it didn’t work,” Mac said, watching the waver of Kendrick’s gun and looking for an opening that wasn’t coming. They needed information on where Nikki’s headed, and this was the only way to get it. “And unless you kill me, it’s not—”

He was cut off by the butt of Jack’s gun smashing into Kendrick’s head, causing him to drop to the ground like a sack of rocks. “You okay?” Jack asked, spinning his gun on his finger which shouldn’t have been as attractive as it was.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Mac said after a small delay. “I didn’t get to find out much, but Nikki is definitely working with him.”

Jack made a face. “Sorry, man,” he murmured, nudging Kendrick with his foot, but he was out cold. “Also, if you run off like that again I’m gonna handcuff us together.”

Mac’s stomach _shouldn’t_ have swooped at the idea of Jack, himself, and handcuffs in the same vicinity, but it did all the same. “Let’s take him back to the truck and wake him up, see what else he knows?”

“Good idea,” Jack agreed, grabbing Kendrick’s shoulders while Mac took his ankles, suddenly grateful he popped half a painkiller on the way there. “Wait, you said Nikki _is_ working with him, not _was_ —does that mean—”

“Yeah, it does,” Mac interjected grimly, happy that when they rounded the corner Riley already had the back doors to the truck open. “She’s alive.”

Jack swore under his breath and the looked on his face was positively murderous. “Fucking hell,” he muttered, grunting when his grip on Kendrick slipped a little. “So they faked the whole thing?”

“They did with the bullet meant for her,” Mac replied, feeling like the biggest fool in the world. “Mine was real, as you remember.”

Jack made a sound in the back of his throat and it took Mac a second to recognize it: a growl. “Yeah, I do. And he ain’t gonna forget it either.” They tossed Kendrick into the truck and tied him up, and then Jack smacked his cheek. “Wake up, buttmunch. We need to talk.”

Riley kept an eye on them from the front of the truck, but she was also doing something on her new computer. Mac was curious about that, but he was more concerned about Kendrick, who blinked bleary eyes and then swore. “Ah, bugger. Thought I at least shot you again before your guard dog knocked me out.”

Jack growled again and then punched Kendrick hard enough something cracked. “I’d watch your words if I were you,” he warned, and then he smiled sweetly. “Now, if I were you, I’d also start talkin’. Where’s Nikki and the weapon?”

“Gone,” Kendrick snapped, spitting blood on the floor. “We already sold the weapon to Chen. What he does with it isn’t our concern.”

“What did you have on her?” Mac asked, clinging to the hope that Nikki was forced into betraying DXS... and him. “How did you—”

“You really are a naive son of a bitch, aren’t you?” Kendrick laughed, his teeth stained red, eyes flat with disdain. “Check my phone. Elsa Pitzinger. She got a million bucks to help us steal that thing.”

Mac wanted to believe he was lying, but when Jack reached for Kendrick’s phone and tossed it to him, he knew what he was going to find. The phone wasn’t locked—a dumb move—and what Kendrick said checked out. “When did you sell it?” he asked, making sure to keep his voice neutral. “And where?”

“Just now, dumbass,” Kendrick said, flinching when Jack motioned like he was going to hit him again. “You missed Chen by about five minutes. We were on our way out when those fucking tourists showed up.”

“I have enough to clone his voice,” Riley said suddenly, causing all three men to look her way. “If you want to try calling Nikki, I might be able to find out where she’s headed.”

“You little bitch,” Kendrick snarled, groaning when Jack kicked him in the ribs.

“Language,” Jack growled, glaring at him, and damn, that shouldn’t be so attractive. He turned his attention to Riley, the look on his face softening. “Let’s do it.” His gaze shifted to Mac. “Worth a shot, right?”

“I guess,” Mac said, the alias that Nikki used, Pitzinger, tugging at something in his brain. He put it aside for now and paid attention as Riley hooked up Kendrick’s phone to her laptop and Jack slapped some duct tape over his mouth.

She put the call through, and Nikki picked up on the second ring. “What do you want?”

“Just making sure we’re still meeting in the same place,” Kendrick’s voice said through Riley’s laptop, convincing enough to be disturbing.

“Yeah, the place in New York City that I told you about,” Nikki replied, her tone dismissive. “Don’t call again.”

She hung up and Riley said, “Sounded like an airport.”

“Not a big one, though, those were small engines,” Jack told them, cocking his head. “She’s flying outta San Carlos. If we want to catch her, we’ve gotta hurry.”

The way Jack was able to recognize the engines suggests he had experience with planes, probably knew how to fly some of them, and once again, Mac shouldn’t find it as attractive as he did. He couldn’t help it, though, competence was a major turn on for him and it was clear that Jack was _very_ competent at what he did. “What about him?” Mac asked, gesturing at Kendrick.

“I texted Patty earlier,” Jack said, glaring at Kendrick. “Her guys should be here soon to pick him up.”

“Awesome,” Mac said, and didn’t feel the slightest bit bad about tossing him out of the truck. Once that was done he and Jack crawled into the front seat and Jack started up the truck’s big engine, gunning it into the street. “If she’s already at the airport she’ll be wheels up soon.”

“I’ll drive as fast as I can without shaking us apart,” Jack assured him, putting his foot to the floor and not bothering with a seat belt. “You good?”

“Just perfect,” Mac replied, his hands clenched in fists on top of his thighs. “Other than feeling like a complete idiot for trusting Nikki, I’m just fine.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, I... just get us there in time?”

“You got it,” Jack replied, not looking away from the road. “And you don’t have to apologize.”

The rest of the ride passed in silence, except for Jack occasionally cursing at other drivers, and after breaking _several_ traffic laws, they reached the airport.

~***~

As soon as they were in view of the runway Mac bailed out of the truck, breaking into a sprint because he knew without Riley confirming it that the plane taking off was Nikki’s. He heard Jack yell his name but ignored it, pulse pounding in his ears as he reached his top speed and grabbed on to the small jet’s landing gear just as it left the ground. Fumbling for his knife, he pulled out the blade and cut the first wire he saw, praying it’d be enough to get the pilot to turn around... and trying desperately not to look down, since he was afraid of heights.

He squeezed his eyes shut and clung tightly to the landing gear, hoping that his plan worked because otherwise...

Before his mind could come up with the worst case scenario he suddenly felt the plane start descending, and he breathed out in relief. He kept his eyes close until he felt the wheels hit the ground and he waited for the plane to slow down before he jumped down and ran to the door. Jack and Riley arrived around the same time, and Jack shot Mac a vicious look before he wrenched the door open, gun drawn.

“Put it down or I swear to god, I’ll put one in you,” Jack said to Nikki, who stood at the other end of the plane with her own weapon pointed at them.

“Easy,” Mac said, touching Jack’s back lightly and finding he wasn’t disturbed in the slightest by his anger—he knew somehow deep in his bones that Jack would never hurt him. Focusing on Nikki, he slipped past Jack and walked right up to her, allowing the barrel of her gun to press against his throat. “If you wanna shoot him, you’ll have to go through me.”

Nikki tilted her head and smirked coldly. “And what makes you think I won’t?”

“You don’t have it in you,” Mac replied with more confidence that he felt, but it didn’t matter. Right now he didn’t care about getting hurt, the only things he felt being anger and betrayal.

Nikki raised one eyebrow and looked at Jack over his shoulder. “Who is he?” she asked. “Owen replacement?”

“Something like that,” Mac said, barely keeping the rage and hurt that want to shake his voice in check. “And don’t pretend like you gave a damn about Owen.”

“Oh please, like _you_ did?” Nikki snorted, her gun not wavering an inch. “We both know he was a meat headed moron. Of the two of you, I would’ve been more likely to let you in on my plan, Mac... except I could tell you weren’t really committed to _us_.” A cruel smirk. “Guess that’s what happens when you play for both teams, huh?”

Mac inhaled sharply and he listened closely for Jack’s reaction to Nikki outing him. He didn’t hear anything, so he took a deep breath, because so far everything pointed toward Jack being a great guy, so hopefully he didn’t have a problem with Mac being bisexual. “My sexuality has nothing to do with me being committed to our relationship,” he replied coldly, barely keeping his voice steady. “And if you don’t understand it, it’s just more proof that you’re not who I thought you were.”

Nikki stared at him for a long moment, then dropped the gun on the floor. “Well look at you, finally figuring things out. Great job, genius.” She laughed when he grabbed her and spun her around to put on the handcuffs that Jack passed over, saying loudly enough for him and Riley to hear, “Remember all the fun we used to have with these, Mac?”

“Just tell us where Chen’s going to use the bioweapon,” Riley snapped.

“I already know,” Mac said, and when Nikki whirled to face him it was his turn to smirk. “Pitzinger, huh? Like the poet who wrote about the 1907 earthquake, right here in San Francisco?” Nikki gaped at him, and even though it was clear Mac managed to surprise her by getting it right, he hardly felt any satisfaction. He just wanted to get the weapon back and put all of this behind him as soon as possible, and hopefully forget about Nikki once and for all.

“Wait, here?” Jack asked, as they dragged Nikki out of the plane. “Chen’s gonna use it here, in San Francisco?”

Riley grabbed Nikki by her hair and yanked, _hard_ , causing her to snarl, “ _Yes_ , the target is San Francisco. Apparently he’s planning on using an old army utility truck to carry a bomb, which will have the bioweapon inside it. I don’t know an exact location, but I’d guess somewhere crowded.”

“Downtown at rush hour fits that bill,” Mac said grimly, checking the time. “Riley, see if you can get into a satellite and find a truck that matches that description.” He looked at Jack. “So, since you can recognize engines by sound... can you fly a helicopter?”

Jack grinned at him. “I can fly anything, man,” he said. “If it’s capable of getting up in the air, I can fly it.”

Mac swallowed hard because there it was again, the competence, but he pushed the distracting thoughts away. “It’ll be faster than using a car,” he said, somehow keeping his voice normal. “Riley, anything?”

“Yeah, actually,” Riley said, showing them her computer screen. “Satellite took this image about ten minutes ago. If you hurry you can catch him—I’ll send a GPS ping to your phones.” She shot Nikki a look. “And I’ll make sure she doesn’t go anywhere before backup gets here.”

“Thank you,” Mac said, squeezing her shoulder briefly before he jogged over to where Jack had somehow convinced a guy in a suit to loan him his helicopter. “How’d you manage that?”

“My natural charm,” Jack said, and they both got into the helicopter. “Plus I told him all about national security and he believed me.”

“Or he was too scared of your gun to say no,” Mac replied, pointing at the weapon tucked behind the waistband of Jack’s jeans, but still very much visible. “But I don’t care, what’s important is that we’ve got a ride.”

“Of course we do, man, it ain’t like we’re gonna walk.” Jack handed him a headset and that made it much easier to talk without needing to shout. “So what’s the plan? We find the truck, and then...?”

“Then I figure out how to get on it so I can disarm the bomb,” Mac replied, still unsure how he was going to accomplish that. “I doubt Chen can be reasoned with.”

“Probably not,” Jack replied, and skillfully got the helicopter up in the air.

Mac got the coordinates from his phone and programmed them into the helicopter’s GPS so that Jack knew what direction he was supposed to fly. He stayed quiet, not wanting to distract Jack, but unfortunately that meant his thoughts had a chance to get louder. He wondered if he should talk to Jack about Nikki outing him, if he should bring it up at all... but right now was definitely a bad time for that, so Mac tried to let it go.

“I can practically hear you thinkin’ over there,” Jack said, his voice tinny through the headset. “And I’m pretty sure I know about what. You’ve got nothing to worry about, Mac.”

“I... I don’t?” Mac hated how the words came out, small and unsure. “Because... people have given me something to worry about before when they find out about... _that_.”

“You make it sound like I’ve learned your deepest, darkest secret,” Jack said, and when Mac glanced at him he was smiling. “I’m not gonna give you anything to worry about. You’re bi, ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.” Jack shrugged, and Mac’s mind was blown by how... simple this was for Jack. And how accepting he was. “Plus it would be pretty hypocritical if I had a problem with that, considering I also swing both ways.”

Mac’s brain screeched to a halt, crashed into the nearest metaphorical wall, and exploded into a million tiny pieces. “Wait, _what_? But you seem so...”

“Straight?” Jack guessed, grinning when Mac flushed with embarrassment. “Years of practice, mostly out of necessity, as you know. I’ll admit I’ve spent most of my time with the fairer sex, but it seems silly to deny that I find dudes attractive too.”

Mac desperately tried to come up with something to say that wouldn’t make him sound like an idiot, but his poor brain still hadn’t recovered. He felt like he was having a surreal dream, and it was hard for him to focus... but then he forced himself to get a grip. Jack being bisexual didn’t mean he would ever be into Mac, plus considering Mac’s luck with relationships... he probably shouldn’t get involved with anyone for a long time. Evidently Jack didn’t mind that Mac didn’t have a response, and at that moment they came upon the stretch of highway Chen’s truck was cruising and it was a moot point.

Mac looked at the canvas covering the back of the truck and had an idea, but Jack wasn’t going to like it. “I need you to get lower,” he said, taking off his headset and reaching for his door handle. “I’m gonna jump for it.”

“Are you out of your mind?!” Jack yelled, pretty much just like Mac knew he would. “Ain’t no way you’re jumping!”

“Do you have another idea?” Mac yelled back, needing Jack to hear him even though he wasn’t wearing his headset anymore. “It’ll be fine, I just need you to get lower and closer to the truck.”

“Oh yeah, because that’s so easy!” Jack snarked, but Mac could tell he was worried, not angry. “ _Please_ don’t die, okay?”

Mac grinned at him, adrenaline making him hot and a little daring. “No promises!”

He threw the door open and jumped out, the air getting punched from his lungs when he landed on the canvas. He grabbed his knife and popped the blade, stabbing at the canvas a few times before he cut through it. He fell into the back of the truck and almost screamed when the landing jarred his shoulder. He gritted his teeth and breathed in and out through his nose. Eventually the pain dulled and he slowly sat up, his heart dropping when he saw a huge bomb in front of him.

“Fuck,” he swore, and got to his feet, wanting to get a closer look at it... and then he almost got punched when a guy showed up completely out of nowhere. He must be one of Chen’s men and Mac cursed internally because the last thing he needed right now was a fight.

“Mac? You good?” Jack’s voice asked through the comm in Mac’s ear. “Talk to me, kid!”

“I’m a little busy!” Mac griped, ducking the goon’s fist as it flew toward his face.

He tackled him to the floor of the truck but got hit in the kidney and thrown against the bomb for his trouble. He grunted in pain but pushed through it, getting up and throwing a punch of his own. He managed to hit the bad guy on the jaw, but after they fought for a moment he found himself on his back, his shoulder throbbing.

“There you go!” Jack’s voice called out in his ear as Mac tried to shove the goon off, and a second later a gun dropped down seemingly out of the sky. Pushing at the guy with one hand, Mac grabbed the gun and hit the goon on the head, effectively knocking him out. “That’s not how I would use it, but fine!”

Mac rolled his eyes, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He got to his feet and stumbled to the bomb, and now he saw the cylinder containing the virus was inside it. “Jack, you should get out of here,” he said, clutching at his shoulder and leaning against the bomb for support. He looked it over, spying a tangle of wires that were all the same color, and his heart sank. “Nikki was right, Chen is going to use the bomb to disperse the virus... and I don’t know if I can disarm it.”

“That’s what the army trained you for, you could do this in your sleep,” Jack said, and it was a nice thing to say, especially since Jack hadn’t seen Mac disarm anything yet, he’d only read his file.

“Jack, you—” Mac started, shaking his head, but he didn’t get to finish.

“You go kaboom, I go kaboom,” Jack interjected, and something warm spread through Mac’s chest. “Come on, hoss, snip-snip and disarm the damn thing.”

Mac bit the inside of his cheek and studied the wires for a moment, then stuck his hands inside the bomb and cut one. It was the wrong one, evidently, because the bomb started counting down faster than it was before. “Shit, shit, _shit_ ,” Mac said, grabbing the cylinder with the virus inside it.

He looked around frantically and cut down the canvas, pulling together a rudimentary parachute... and then he made a run for it, jumping out of the truck with the cylinder against his body right as it exploded. It threw him back but the parachute worked because he didn’t smash right into the asphalt. Instead he landed further away, curling up once he was on the ground and clutching the cylinder close, hoping it didn’t accidentally get damaged. His ears were still ringing, but after a moment he realized he heard footsteps and shouting.

“Mac!” When he glanced up he saw Jack landed the helicopter in the middle of the highway and was now running toward him. There were a bunch of police cars and fire trucks coming down the road too, but Mac only had eyes for Jack, who reached him as Mac managed to sit up. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ, are you okay?” Jack asked, voice tight and edged with panic as he dropped to his knees next to him, hands moving over Mac as he checked for injuries. “Mac? Talk to me!”

Mac blinked at him, suddenly aware of how close Jack was, his hands still moving, a little frantically but also gently at the same time. “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” he replied with a slight delay, trying to focus on coming up with words before he did something stupid. “I’m good, and... and the cylinder should be too.”

Jack pelt back Mac’s jacket and they both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw it was intact. Then Jack helped Mac to his feet and stared at him for a moment before he started laughing hysterically. “That was _amazing_!” He dragged Mac in for a hug, squeezing him carefully. “You’re a total badass.”

“I... I am?” Mac asked, frowning a little, but he was a little distracted by how _warm_ and muscular Jack was. “Most people would say I’m crazy.”

“Oh, no doubt about that,” Jack said, pulling back and grinning widely. “You’re batshit crazy, but then so am I... so I guess everything works out?”

He was _gorgeous_ , Mac thought, practically glowing in the light from the setting sun, and suddenly his fingers itched to touch Jack’s cheek, to learn how his stubble felt under his fingertips. He _wanted_ so badly in a way that he never had before, and he was helpless to do anything but smile back, indulging in a laugh of his own. It turned into a wince quickly, and he lifted a hand to his bad shoulder. “How about we go home now?” he suggested. “I think I’d like to sleep for another month.”

“I’m afraid Patty won’t let you sleep that long again,” Jack muttered, and then his brows furrowed in concern. “You’re taking another painkiller when we get back to Riley, though. You don’t have any excuses this time, and it’s clear your shoulder bothers you.”

Mac sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to win this fight. “I hate taking them,” he muttered, hoping that just like during the flight from Italy, the painkiller would knock him out and he wouldn’t embarrass himself by saying something stupid... or being horny.

“You can hate it all you want, but you just jumped out of a helicopter, got your ass beat, _and_ jumped out of an exploding truck. If that doesn’t qualify you for a painkiller, I don’t know what does.” There was a note of pride in Jack’s voice and it shouldn’t make Mac’s stomach flutter but it did anyway, even though he was sure it just applied to him as a coworker.

They reached some black-clad DXS agents who had joined the local cops and emergency response, and Mac was more than happy to hand off the bioweapon as Jack steered him toward an ambulance. “No, I don’t need the ambulance,” Mac immediately protested, stopping and not letting Jack drag him any further. Jack opened his mouth to argue, but Mac shook his head. “No, you—you said you’ve got my painkillers, right? And they’re with Riley?” Jack nodded after a moment, squinting at him. “Okay, so... let’s head back? I’ll take the pill, but... no ambulance. Please.”

Jack stared at him a moment longer before he nodded. “Alright, deal. Let’s go get Riles, yeah?”

“That sounds perfect,” Mac said, relief coursing through him as they moved toward an empty SUV instead. “I just really don’t like ambulances. Or hospitals.”

“Yeah, that’s obvious, hoss,” Jack said, but again, it didn’t sound mean when he said it. “Any particular reason for that?”

“Well, I’ve never met anyone who would actually like hospitals,” Mac replied, smiling gratefully when Jack helped him into the passenger seat. He waited for Jack to get behind the wheel before he continued, “But I’m aware I’m... more adamant than others about not liking them.” He sighed. “My mom died when I was five. She spent a lot of time in the hospital.”

Jack blew out a long breath as they started driving back to San Carlos. “I’m sorry, Mac, that’s... way too young to lose a parent.”

Mac’s throat went tight and he had to clear it before he could speak again. “After she passed my dad was never the same. He threw himself into his work, never had any time for me... and then on my tenth birthday he left and never came back.”

“What? What a bastard,” Jack muttered under his breath, and Mac couldn’t help but smile a little. “That’s why you said your grandfather raised you.”

“Yeah,” Mac confirmed with a nod. “He’s been raising me pretty much since my mom died, but after my dad left he took over full time.” He swallowed hard. “He didn’t even say goodbye. My dad.”

Jack glanced over at him. “That’s bullshit. Wherever he is, he oughta regret the hell out of abandoning you like that.” He drove well over the speed limit but Mac didn’t mind, because it was clear that he knew what he was doing. “I’ve got four siblings and I can’t imagine either of my parents doin’ something like that. My old man... he wasn’t perfect, but he never would’ve given up on his kids.”

“Wasn’t?” Mac asked hesitantly, not wanting to say something wrong. “So he...”

“Yeah, he passed a while back,” Jack said, smiling sadly. “It was... rough, especially for my mama. He’s actually buried in Los Angeles. That’s what he wanted.”

Mac sensed there was a reason for that, but he decided not to pry, and soon they reached the airport where they left Riley. Nikki was nowhere to be seen, and once Riley got in the SUV with their gear she explained: “The FBI took Nikki in while you guys were gone. From what Patty said she’ll be going away for a long time.”

“Good,” Mac murmured, startling a little when Riley stuck a pill bottle under his nose. “What the—”

“You need to take one of these,” she said, softly but firmly. “I can see you wincing and I’m in the backseat.”

She definitely acted like Jack’s daughter, but Mac had enough common sense not to say it out loud. She handed him a bottle of water next, and Mac sighed. “Okay, okay, fine,” he grumbled, and since Jack’s plan was apparently to stare at him until he swallowed the pill, he took one out and put it in his mouth, drinking some water. “Happy?”

“Delighted,” Jack and Riley said in unison, grinning at each other for a second.

Mac might not be thrilled about taking the painkiller, but at least he was able to facilitate a moment of normalcy between them. His eyes closed without his permission but he didn’t fall asleep, caught up in listening to Jack tell Riley about Chen’s truck and the bomb. He must’ve nodded off at some point, though, because the next time he opened his eyes they were outside his house.

~***~

Patty stood near the front door talking to Bozer, clearly just back from his fast-food job because he wore a grease-stained uniform. “Hey, guys!” Bozer exclaimed when Jack got out of the car, Mac stumbling out after him. “Mac, are you sure you should be back at working that soon after—oh hi.” His eyes widened and Mac realized Riley exited the vehicle as well. “I don’t believe we’ve met! I’m Bozer.”

Riley looked Bozer up and down and seemed amused but unimpressed. “Riley. I just started working with Mac and Jack.”

“At the think tank,” Mac added quickly, realizing Riley didn’t know their real jobs needed to be secret. “She’s in IT.”

“And she’s _unavailable_.” There was only a little bit of a growl in Jack’s voice, but it was enough to make Bozer take a step back, partially hidden behind Patty.

“Okay!” Mac said, forcing himself to wake up more and intervene before Riley bit Jack’s head off. He didn’t know if she was bothered by him being a little protective, but he didn’t want to find out the hard way. “I’m starving. Should we order something?”

“Sounds good,” Bozer said, dashing toward the house. “Pizza?”

“Sure, Boze!” Mac called, but stopped short of following him, raising an eyebrow at Patty. “What’s with the house call?”

“DXS has been disbanded,” Patty replied, never one to mince words. “The brass says because we have no way of knowing how much sensitive information Nikki disseminated after she burned us, all personnel from DXS will be moving to a new location here in Los Angeles effective immediately. We’ll still be masquerading as a think tank, but we need a new name.”

“Oh, this could be fun!” Jack exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. “How about... Thunder Stallions?”

Mac chuckled while Riley and Patty looked at him like he lost his mind. They all headed inside the house and then out on the deck, sitting down by the fire pit. Bozer must have started the fire before he went to order the pizzas, and Mac found himself staring at the flames. “Phoenix,” he said quietly after a moment, and when everyone looked at him, he clarified. “The name? How about... the Phoenix?”

Patty tilted her head, considering that for a moment. “The Phoenix Foundation,” she said, nudging Mac with her knee and flashing him a rare smile. “You’ve gotta make it sound pretentious.”

“I like it,” Riley said, smiling too, but her happy expression faded after a moment. “I mean... I don’t know if my opinion’s worth anything, since you’re probably taking me back to prison.”

“No, we’re not,” Mac instantly said, aware of... something flashing in Jack’s eyes. He straightened his shoulders, ignoring the pain in his left one, and met Patty’s gaze. “I’m not letting you send her back.”

They stared at each other for one tense moment, and then Patty sighed. “Relax, I’m not taking her back to prison,” she said, her gaze shifting to Riley. “You’re officially on probation now... on the condition that you stay and work for DXS—excuse me, the Phoenix Foundation.”

Riley grinned again. “Done. Anything to get out of that place... but I have to say, today was pretty fucking cool.” She looked at Jack. “That okay with you?”

“It’s more than okay, Riles,” Jack said, his expression going soft and fond. “I’d love to be able to spend more time with you, and... maybe get a chance to un-fuck some of the damage I did.”

A part of Mac expected Riley to blow up and start snapping at Jack again, but she didn’t do any of that. Instead she looked at him for a second and then nodded a little. “Maybe,” she said simply, but apparently that was more than Jack expected, judging by the overjoyed look on his face.

Before anyone else had a chance to speak, Bozer showed up on the deck, dressed in his normal clothes. “Pizzas should be here in about fifteen minutes!”

“Great,” Patty said, and she sounded like she actually meant it. She looked at Riley again. “You’re going to need a place to stay, and since Jack’s already on the couch here... I suppose you could stay with me until you get a couple of paychecks under your belt.”

Riley looked surprised, but she nodded. “Thanks, Patty. That would be great.”

Mac chose not to mention Jack didn’t technically sleep on the couch last night, and thankfully Bozer didn’t say anything either. It wasn’t like he was embarrassed about it, he just didn’t want Patty and Riley to get the wrong idea and make Jack uncomfortable. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about Jack saying he was also attracted to guys... but that didn’t mean he would _ever_ be into Mac.

“Hey,” Jack said softly, cutting into Mac’s internal monologue with ease. They were suddenly alone by the fire, with Patty showing Riley some pictures of her apartment near the railing and Bozer doing something inside. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I think I just need to eat,” Mac replied, and it was mostly true. Taking a painkiller on an empty stomach wasn’t a good idea, the world gone slightly fuzzy at the edges. “Starting to think about stuff I shouldn’t.”

Jack frowned at him and Mac realized he should probably watch what he was saying more carefully. “Like I told you earlier... if there’s anything you’d like to talk about, my door’s always open,” Jack commented, and then made a face. “I’m aware that sound weird, considering I’m living at your place for now. But you know what I mean.”

Mac smiled a little. “Metaphorical door, got it. And thanks.”

He forced himself to shut up as Bozer returned with the pizzas, and when Patty and Riley rejoined them they all chowed down. The food made Mac feel a little better, less like he was drifting in a current. Soon they said goodbye to Bozer, who had a night shoot for his latest film project, and Riley and Patty, who headed back to the latter’s place to crash.

That left Mac and Jack alone together, everything quiet and still save for the crackling of the fire.

“I know I already asked you this... but are you okay?” Jack asked, and Mac made the mistake of looking at him.

The flames reflected in his dark eyes, making him look even more gorgeous... and Mac was fucked, wasn’t he? He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his hand. “I’m... as okay as I can be?” he said, but it came out more like a question. “I just... can’t help but blame myself for being so blind.”

“Hey, I thought we went over this already,” Jack said, scooting closer on the bench, his beer bottle bumping against Mac’s soda can (alcohol and painkillers do not mix well). “What Nikki did isn’t your fault, Mac, and it ain’t like you were the only one working with her. I’m sure Patty’s kicking herself too.” He hesitated. “You want me to take a look at your shoulder? I’ve been shot a few times... sometimes massaging the muscles a little helps them relax.”

“I... yeah, sure,” Mac replied before he could stop himself.

He set his soda aside and suddenly realized he had to take his shirt off for this. Swallowing hard, he tried not to feel self-conscious and he slowly started to unbutton his shirt. In the meantime Jack put his beer aside as well and got up, moving to Mac’s left side. He was warm at Mac’s back, almost as warm as the fire in front of them and just as dangerous. He helped Mac slide off his shirt, just like he helped him put it on at the hospital, and then his fingertips carefully explored the ridges of scar tissue left behind by stitches Mac didn’t recall having.

“This looks good,” Jack murmured, breath stirring the hair at the back of Mac’s neck. “Does it hurt right now?”

“A little,” Mac admitted, his voice miraculously staying steady. “But not as much as it did earlier, I think the painkillers are still working.”

“Yeah, probably,” Jack said quietly, and Mac did his best not to shudder under his touch.

Gently, Jack put his hand over the muscle and slowly started massaging it, and while it hurt at first... after a moment it felt better. Mac made an appreciative sound and leaned into Jack’s grasp, eyes fluttering shut. His whole body relaxed in a way that it hadn’t since he woke up in Milan with Jack at his bedside, still a stranger. They were definitely not strangers now... and as much as the attraction that Mac felt scares him, he also felt safe in a way that he hadn’t in a long time. Before he knew it, Jack’s hands had stopped working at his shoulder, and instead they were just... touching him, supporting his weight with ease.

“You alright?” Jack murmured, his voice a low rumble that made something warm stir in Mac’s stomach. “Did it help?”

It took Mac’s brain a second to realize Jack meant the massage, so he nodded. “Y-Yeah, it did,” he replied, his voice cracking a little. “It’s... amazing, thank you.”

Jack chuckled, the sound vibrating against Mac’s back. “Amazing, huh? I should start charging.”

Mac wasn’t sure if this was banter, flirting, or some odd combination of both, but he played along. “Consider the massage payment for sleeping in my bed again tonight.” He turned enough to see Jack’s face, their noses almost brushing. “Unless you wanted to try the couch after all?”

Jack exhaled softly and Mac knew that because he felt his breath on his lips. “Nah, I... I think I’m gonna stick with sharing the bed,” Jack replied in a whisper, and his voice sounded... strained. “Neither you or Bozer painted a pretty picture while describing the couch.”

Mac had no idea what exactly was happening, but all that mattered was that Jack was so close to him, not moving away. “It’s awful, trust me,” he said, just as quietly. “And you already know how comfortable my bed is.”

“Yeah, I... I do,” Jack said, a little stutter between his words. By all rights he should’ve taken his hands off Mac by now, but he didn’t. One of them slipped over to Mac’s good shoulder, and the other one dropped lower, sliding against his ribs. “The comfort wasn’t the only thing I liked about sleeping in your bed, though.”

“Oh yeah?” Mac’s heart pounded so hard he was afraid it was going to explode from his chest. “What else did you like?”

Jack was still behind him, so Mac had to kind of look at him over his shoulder, but he could see just fine how... dark Jack’s eyes were. They seemed darker than before, but that was probably because the lights on the deck were off and the fire was slowly dying. “The company was quite nice,” Jack replied, his thumb rubbing over Mac’s ribs. “I definitely liked that.”

Goosebumps broke out on Mac’s skin, and he took in a deep breath. He realized Jack smelled like an intoxicating combination of leather and gunpowder, and while Mac wasn’t always great at reading people, he knew what was happening here. “Well, it is _my_ bed, so I’ll be there again,” he whispered, his gaze flicking down to Jack’s mouth briefly. “But... we don’t necessarily have to sleep? At least not right away.”

“And what do you suggest we do?” Jack asked, his voice dropping even lower if that was possible. “Because somehow I’m gettin’ the feeling you don’t mean reading or watching a movie.”

“No,” Mac murmured, licking his lips. “No, I didn’t mean that.”

As soon as the words left his mouth it was like something snapped in both of them because they leaned in at the same time, their lips meeting in a hard kiss.

Mac moans into Jack’s mouth and shifted even more to make the angle better, his arms sliding around Jack’s neck. Jack groaned like he was the one who got shot, hands grasping at Mac’s waist, shifting him so he was sitting in Jack’s lap. His grip moved to Mac’s hips for a moment, squeezing lightly, then one hand slid up to card through Mac’s hair. The whole time their lips parted and met and parted again, and when they came back together again Jack’s tongue pushed past Mac’s lips.

Mac made a sound in the back of his throat as the kiss got deeper and even more heated. He groaned when Jack tugged lightly on his hair, and he moved his hands to the sides of his neck, brushing his thumbs over Jack’s stubbled jaw. It was softer than he expected, but that thought flew out of his head when Jack’s other hand slid down into the back pocket of his jeans. He moaned again, louder this time, loving the way Jack groped his ass.

He gasped raggedly when Jack pushed himself to his feet, lifting Mac along with him like he didn’t weigh a thing. He kicked out the last embers of the fire before he walked them inside, pressing Mac up against the nearest wall. He broke the kiss, but only to brush his lips over Mac’s cheek and jaw, nipping at his skin. Mac made a broken sound when Jack moved to the birthmark under his jaw and licked over it before sucking lightly. He wrapped his legs tightly around Jack’s waist, one hand sliding into his hair and tugging on that mohawk that shouldn’t be as attractive as it was.

“You good?” Jack mumbled against his skin, his hands squeezing Mac’s thighs.

“God yeah,” Mac breathed out, using his grip on Jack’s hair to pull him up for another messy, open-mouthed kiss.

He was the first one to pull back this time, lips roving over Jack’s stubbled jaw to the tendon in the side of his neck. That earned him a breathless whine as Jack moved away from the wall, carrying Mac down the hall to his room. He kicked the door shut behind him and moved toward the bed, gently setting Mac down on the mattress before climbing on top of him. He loomed above him for a moment, dark eyes searching his face, and then he leaned down for another kiss, just as hard and passionate as the previous ones.

Mac wrapped his good arm around Jack’s neck, pulling him in as close as he could. His legs fell to the mattress but he drew his knees up so Jack could lie in the cradle of his hips. He groaned when he felt Jack’s half-hard cock pressed against his own through the material of their jeans. “Oh, _Jack_ ,” Mac cried out, clutching at the back of Jack’s neck when he rocked his hips down. “Fuck, that’s good.”

“Agreed,” Jack mumbled, mouthing at his jaw before moving lower to his neck. He nipped lightly on his skin, but when he reached his collarbone he bit down harder and then started sucking, and Mac was sure that was going to leave a bruise. He shuddered at the thought of Jack marking him and he moaned when Jack ground against him again.

Something occurred to Mac and he reached for Jack’s shirt, tugging at it. “Not fair,” he whined, pushing up into the friction Jack provided even as he tried to get him naked. “You’re wearing too much.”

Jack grinned wolfishly, sitting up and pulling off his shirt, revealing a gloriously sculpted body marred by the occasional scar. “How’s this?”

“Perfect,” Mac breathed out, grabbing Jack by the shoulders and tugging him back down.

He crashed their lips together again and wrapped both arms around Jack’s back, not caring in the slightest about the pain in his shoulder. He groaned when Jack devoured his mouth like there was no tomorrow, and he slid his hands up and down Jack’s back, exploring his skin and scars with his fingertips. Jack pulled back a moment later, those beautiful eyes studying Mac’s features. His hands moved too, thumbs rubbing over Mac’s nipples, shifting down the bed a little to follow up that touch with his mouth. His lips wrapped around Mac’s left nipple and drew it into the wet heat of his mouth, sucking lightly.

“ _Jack_ ,” Mac said sharply, fingers twisting in the sheets on either side of his body, trembling with arousal.

Jack glanced up at him and smirked, moving to his other nipple and giving it the same treatment. Mac moaned brokenly, arching off the mattress a little, and he inhaled sharply when Jack started sliding lower, kissing and nipping his way down Mac’s chest and abs. What he was planning became very clear when he pressed a kiss to Mac’s belly and reached the waistband of his jeans, one hand sliding over the bulge there, squeezing lightly.

Mac’s eyes rolled back in his head, lashes fluttering as heat pulsed through his body from his groin. He’d never been this turned on in his life, and a part of him couldn’t believe this was happening. He shuddered and sighed when Jack opened his pants, moving enough to pry off Mac’s boots before he slid off his jeans, leaving him in his boxer briefs. Then he was leaning down to nuzzle and mouth at Mac’s cock through the fabric, breathing in deeply.

Mac moaned loudly, his hips twitching a little, but then Jack put an arm over them, pinning Mac down. He continued teasing him for a moment and just when Mac was about to start begging, he took his arm away and slowly tugged his underwear down. Usually Mac would feel self-conscious about being exposed like this, but he was so turned on he could barely breathe and his brain was pretty much offline. He didn’t remember the last time he’d had his dick sucked—Nikki hated doing it, so she never did—and he trembled in anticipation, gasping when Jack gave his cock a long lick.

He curled the fingers of one hand around the base, tongue flicking over the head, the tip rubbing over the slit and drawing out some precome. Locking eyes with Mac, Jack took him into his mouth, which was burning hot and deliciously wet. He sucked lightly, moving up and down on the first couple of inches before he drew back, kissing and licking at the head again. His other hand traced patterns against Mac’s thigh before slipping lower, fingers brushing his balls before they moved between his ass cheeks, rubbing lightly over Mac’s hole.

Mac made a high and desperate noise, one that he didn’t make he’d made every before, and he whimpered when Jack took him into his mouth again. He drew him in deeper this time, sinking lower, and Mac cried out when Jack did something _magical_ with his tongue, his fingers pressing against his entrance a little harder. There was a crazy part of Mac that just wanted those fingers inside him dry, but he knew that wasn’t practical. He groped blindly for his nightstand drawer and pulled out a bottle of lube, holding it out for Jack to take.

“Here,” he said hoarsely, licking his lips as Jack paused his movements, eyeing the bottle. “You can... if you want to?”

“Fuck, I do,” Jack rasped out, his voice heavy with arousal. He took his fingers away from Mac’s ass and grabbed the lube, letting go of his cock to open the bottle. He poured some on his fingers and he wrapped his lips around Mac’s cock again, his hand sliding between Mac’s legs, his now lubed up fingers rubbing over his entrance.

Mac’s breath hitched because it’d been a while—ass play wasn’t something on Nikki’s to-do list either—but his body relaxed into Jack’s touch, distracted by the beautiful suction on his cock. His trigger finger breached Mac’s rim, moving back and forth in a slow, easy rhythm as Jack took more of Mac’s cock in his mouth, until the head pressed into his throat. Mac whimpered, hands twisted in the bedsheets, and he arched off the mattress, thrusting lightly into that wet, amazing heat. Jack made an approving sound and started bobbing his head up and down, swallowing around Mac’s cock while his finger continued moving slowly in and out, the stretch burning in the best way.

The fire building in Mac’s stomach stoked to a roar, and soon he was panting for air and trying to warn Jack: “Oh, I’m so close, Jack, I’m gonna, I—” He cut off as Jack moved his finger faster, slipping a second one inside as he took Mac’s cock in to the root and swallowed repeatedly, watching him through his eyelashes as he tried to make him come.

Mac moaned loudly, his hips rocking between the pressure from Jack’s fingers and the tightness of his throat. He was so close he could taste it, and he knew it wasn’t going to take much longer. Jack’s fingers slid in even deeper and then Jack curled them, pressing them right into Mac’s prostate. He cried out loudly and before he had a chance to warn Jack again, his eyes rolled back in his head and he started coming. A full-body shudder lanced through him along with the most intense orgasm he’d ever had, thighs quaking as he gasped and whined. Jack swallowed everything Mac had to give, fingers slowing to their original rhythm before they withdrew from his body, cock held in Jack’s mouth until Mac whimpered with oversensitivity.

“Fuck,” Jack whispered when he pulled off, licking his lips. “That might be the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Mac found that hard to believe, but he felt himself flush anyway, shivering a little under Jack’s dark, lustful gaze. He also couldn’t believe that just happened, but he was distracted from that train of thought by Jack moving up his body and pressing their lips together in a filthy kiss. Mac moaned when he tasted himself on his tongue and his breath hitched when the kiss quickly turned just as heated as all the kisses before. Mac got his good arm to work and touched Jack’s cheek as they kiss, then brought both hands down to fumble with the front of Jack’s jeans.

He hadn’t touched another man since MIT (he cursed himself for thinking about that) but it wasn’t exactly brain surgery. His breath hitched when he got Jack’s pants open and felt the bulge in his underwear, because Jack was _huge_. Jack made a soft sound against his mouth when Mac’s fingers brushed over his cock through the material of his boxer briefs, and then he groaned when Mac pushed his jeans and underwear down, low enough to get his cock out. They broke apart for air, but only for a moment, and then Mac yanked Jack down for another kiss as he wrapped his fingers around the base of his cock.

“Oh Christ,” Jack mumbled, his hips twitching into Mac’s grip. He turned his head to bury his face in Mac’s neck as Mac gave him a few slow, teasing strokes.

He also kissed at Jack’s cheek and his ear, whispering, “Do you want to fuck me?”

Jack moaned brokenly. “Of course I do... but I don’t think I’m gonna last much longer.” His hips twitched again, arms slipping underneath Mac to hug him close.

The fact that Jack actually _wanted_ him like that was kind of blowing Mac’s mind, but he forced himself to focus. Even though he wanted Jack inside him he was fine with it happening the next time they do this... and for that to happen Mac needed to make Jack feel good, so that he’d want to have sex with him again. Nipping on his earlobe, he tightened his grip on Jack’s cock and moved his hand faster, smiling when Jack groaned loudly, his hips thrusting into his fist.

“ _Fuck_ , Mac,” Jack cried out, his voice muffled slightly by his lips moving against Mac’s skin.

His muscles rippled and all of a sudden he was coming, spurting warm and sticky all over Mac’s fingers. He continued moving for a moment, working himself through it, and then he collapsed, angling his body so he didn’t crush Mac with his weight. Mac let his arms drop down to the mattress as they both panted and tried to catch their breath. He wanted to hold Jack close, but... he wasn’t sure he was allowed to do that since he had no idea what was going to happen next.

They laid like that for a while and then Jack kissed his collarbone and his neck. “You okay?” he murmured against his skin.

Mac swallowed hard, his good hand stroking up and down Jack’s spine. “Yeah, I’m... I’m good. Are you...?”

“I’m fantastic,” Jack replied, sighing contentedly. He kicked off his jeans and underwear, using the latter to clean them both off before tossing them on the floor. “We should do that again... you know, once we can move.”

Mac’s heart actually fluttered, but he forced himself to play it cool. “Yeah? That... would be great, I’m definitely on board,” he said, immediately wincing at how awkward he sounded.

Something in his voice gave him away because Jack lifted his head, looking down at him with a frown. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked, raising one hand to brush Mac’s hair out of his eyes. “You sound... off.”

Mac leaned into Jack’s touch and closed his eyes, cheeks flushing pink. “I am, it’s just... I was floored when you told me you were bi... but I didn’t think it would matter because you wouldn’t be interested in me.” He swallowed hard. “And after Nikki, you have to admit... I’m kind of damaged.”

“You’re not damaged, Mac,” Jack immediately protested. “You trusted the wrong person, that doesn’t mean you’re damaged.” He was still running his fingers through his hair, looking at him with a soft expression on his face. “And what do you mean you thought I wouldn’t be interested in you? You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.”

Mac blinked, stunned by that admission. “I’ve never met anyone like you before,” he whispered, turning his head enough to kiss the inside of Jack’s wrist. “We lie for a living, but you... you meant what you said just now, I can see it.” He stroked his hand down Jack’s side and smiled. “I think we’re going to make a great team.”

“I think so too,” Jack replied, returning the smile, and he leaned down to give him a short kiss. “And for the record... I’ve never met anyone like you either.”

Mac opened his mouth to say something, but he yawned instead, his cheeks flushing pink. “Sorry,” he mumbled when Jack chuckled. “I was really tired earlier and what we did didn’t exactly help.”

Jack’s amusement faded suddenly, and his grip on Mac tightened. “Wait a minute... you took a painkiller earlier,” he said, a note of fear in his voice. “You... you wanted this, right? Because I didn’t ask, I sort of just presumed... oh god, Mac, I’m so—”

“Hey, hey, easy,” Mac interjected, framing Jack’s face with his hands and pulling him down for a kiss. “Of course I wanted it. Painkillers make me feel a little out of it, but I slept on the way here and I had pizza, I was fine when we... started.” His cheeks burned again, he couldn’t help it. “It’s not like you drugged me, Jack.”

Jack relaxed slowly, letting his forehead drop to rest against Mac’s collarbone. “Okay, yeah, I just... needed to make sure.” He kissed Mac’s skin, and he was so... casually affectionate that it made Mac’s head spin because Nikki never did anything like that. “Should’ve probably asked if you were okay with the fingering, though.”

“Jack, I basically threw lube at you,” Mac said with a smile. “I think me being okay with it was kind of implied after that.”

Jack tilted his head enough to look Mac in the eye. “I guess,” he murmured, rubbing small circles on Mac’s hip with his thumb. “Still, I got... carried away.”

Mac looped his arms around Jack in return, more comfortable with cuddling now that it seemed like Jack wasn’t going anywhere. “I get what you’re saying, but I promise you didn’t do anything wrong,” he said, his smile widening a little. “Now can we please go to sleep?”

“Yeah, of course,” Jack whispered, and Mac squealed in surprise when Jack suddenly rolled on his back, tugging him with him.

He wound up cuddled up against Jack’s side, his head on his shoulder... and he didn’t think he’d ever been that comfortable. “You make a great pillow,” he muttered around another yawn. “And you’re so warm. It’s nice.”

Jack made a happy sound, pulling the covers up over both of them. “That’s good.” His hand smoothed over Mac’s back, touch going gentle when he neared the scarring. “Goodnight, Mac.”

“Goodnight, Jack,” Mac whispers, his eyes slipping shut.

The last thing he was aware of before he drifted off was the steady rhythm of Jack’s breathing... but if he’d been paying attention he would’ve noticed his phone vibrating with a text from Patty, telling him Nikki had escaped FBI custody.


End file.
